Nami-ko, a realistic novel

NAMI-KO

A

T3ANS

KENJIRO TOKUTOMI

O .O

I

v_x . ,

Nami-K

o

A REALISTIC NOVEL
By KENJIRO TOKUTOMI

R*k*. •-• .-•'-' L\

' * ytfi*tf*r—

'Translated from the Japanese
By

SAKAE SHIOYA

and

E. F. EDGETT

BOSTON
Herbert B. Turner & Co.

1904

, 1904
3Sp Herbert -J8. Currier & Co,

/4// rights reserved

CntereU at Stationers' full

Published April, 1904

(Colonial prtsa

Electrotypad and Fainted by C. H. Slmonds & Co.
Boston, Mass., U. S. A.

fntroDuction

(3TV f^AMI-KO — a title chosen especially by
QJ iC the author for the English version of his
Hototogisu — is one of the most popular novels in
modern Japanese literature. The reason for this
lies in the absolute-truth. QjLthe^story, in the careful
and unsophisticated working out of details, and in
its series of faithful pictures of Japanese life of the
present day. The popularity of Nami-ko, however,
must also be sought in another conspicuous fact, viz. :
the novel stands unparalleled in the history of
modern Japanese literature in that it embodies the
spirit of knighthood in Japan. The China-Japan
War of 1894 - 95 was not merely an historical event
in which the two nations came into conflict. It
was the first case in which the national consciousness
of its existence and possibilities as an independent
nation asserted itself. The thirty years that pre-
ceded that event was a period of assimilation, strug-
gle, and bewilderment in thought and in principle.

M

2091715

3Tntrotittcttott

Slowly, however, the nation saw its ethical ideal in
the resuscitation of the old Samurai spirit wedded
to the broad principles of humanity. The war served
to translate into words what had hitherto been only
a general tendency. Nami-ko is therefore dear to
the Japanese people through the patriotic spirit of
two characters — Takeo and the General.

There is one more important point to be noticed,
a tendency in the novel which characterizes all the
literary work of Mr. Tokutomi and has found
thousands of admirers in Japan. Owing to a
peculiar Japanese household system, many evils have
resulted from an undue exercise of the prerogatives
allotted to the head of a family. The question of
divorce, as depicted in Nami-ko, is its salient point.
The author has settled this vital question for the
Japanese, and has treated it after the manner of
Hugo, Tolstoi, or Zola, in whose steps, indeed, as
he avows in one of his prefaces, Mr. Tokutomi is
following. It is for humanity, pure and simple, that
he stands, and his object is accomplished in his
sympathetic and imaginative treatment of Nami-ko.

Kenjiro Tokutomi was born in 1868 in a south-
ern town of Kumamoto, Japan. He was educated
at Doshisha College. When his brother, lichiro
Tokutomi, one of Japan's leading essayists, formed
[vi]

a literary society, called the Min-yu-Sha, in 1888, he
joined it at once, and identified himself with its pro-
jects for about fourteen years. Slowly but surely he
established a position for himself among Japanese
writers, and his fame was at its height when his
first important novel, Hototogisu, the original of
Nami-ko, was published in 1900. His other im-
portant works are Omoiide-no-Ki and Kuro-Shio
(The Black Stream), the former a sort of diary
filled with poetic fancy and deep thought, and the
latter a socialistic novel which is gradually attract-
ing widespread attention.

In offering Nami-ko to the American and English
public, the translators must acknowledge that the
very nature of the two widely different languages
has made the task a very difficult one. Literal ac- (X
curacy has, of course, not been attempted, the en-
deavor being especially to reproduce the spirit and
general effect of the story as an example of modern
Japanese fiction. On the whole, however, it is
hoped that as full justice as possible has been done
to the author.

[vii]

'g preface

/T has been significantly said that one-half the
world does not know how the other half lives,
and this is especially true of the outside knowledge
of Eastern civilization, and especially of our Japan-
ese civilization. It was not to reveal our life and
customs to the foreigner that Nami-ko was written,
however, for at the time of its writing, four years
ago, I did not dream that it would ever be trans-
lated, or, indeed, that it would ever reach the pop-
ularity it has gained in my own country. But the
unforseen result is that the English-speaking people
will learn, by its means, something about the great
moral struggle now going on in Japan.

Incredible as it may seem to the Western mind,
Nami-ko is founded on fact. I was much moved
when I first heard about the unhappy Nami-ko, and
I determined at once to make her life the basis
of a story. It was not, of course, my purpose to
attempt to reform the social customs of my country
[viii]

'g preface

by means of fiction, for I am certainly more novelist
than reformer, but, as the exposure of an evil fre-
quently paves the way for its destruction, I have
perhaps builded better than I knew. It is true that
divorce laws, .securing in some degree the rights of
women, and tending to uphold the holy ties of
marriage, have been promulgated in recent years,
and that the ideas of humanity, freedom, and justice
are day by day displacing the worn-out Confucian
ethics. Yet I regret to say that the old evil does
not die easily, and that there is much shedding of
tears during this age of transition. In truth, it is
the age of emancipation in Japan. We are strug-
gling to throw off the thousand fetters which have
bound us, and many a victim consequently falls in
the struggle.

The present story is merely a picture of one epi-
sode among many. If it happen that this insignificant
story — and many other significant ones, I hope —
serve to acquaint you who live on the other side of
the Pacific with the manner in which we live, how
we feel, and what we think, what struggles we are
passing through, and so tend to tighten the bonds
of sympathy between us, it will certainly be of service
to humanity. Especially do I wish to avail myself
of this opportunity to thank the generous American
[ix]

preface

and English public for the sympathy they have
always shown to us, and which they are now making
manifest as we stand in the midst of a great national
trial.

KENJIRO TOKUTOMI.
Tokyo, Jan. 21, 1904.

Contents

Introduction ...... v

Author's Preface ..... x

One

PAGE

Chapter I

THE HONEYMOON . . . . i
Chapter II

NAMI - KO ii

Chapter III

THE FERN GATHERING . . .17
Chapter IV

THE HOUSE OF YAMAKI ... 28
Chapter V

THE GENERAL AT HOME ... 45
Chapter VI

THE MOTHER - IN - LAW 61

Chapter VII

ON DUTY 74

[xi]

Contents

PAGE

*5oab (Ftuo
Chapter I

HOME LIFE ...... 83

Chapter II

YAMAKI ENTERTAINS .... 97
Chapter III

CONFIDENCES ..... 112
Chapter IV

ZUSHI DAYS ..... 125
Chapter V

REVENGE . .... 145

Chapter VI

MOTHER AND SON . . . . I51
Chapter VII

A PROSPECTIVE BRIDE . . . .166
Chapter VIII

THE RECALL ..... 178
Chapter IX

THE HOME- COMING . . . .184
Chapter X

TAKEO AND His MOTHER . . .193

Chapter I

BATTLE OFF YALU RIVER . . . 201
[xii]

Contents

PAGE

Chapter II

IN TIME OF WAR .... 223
Chapter III

CONVALESCENCE 238

Chapter IV

TEMPTATION 246

Chapter V

THE YASO'S STORY .... 260
Chapter VI

PORT ARTHUR 276

Chapter VII

TAKEO'S RETURN .... 283
Chapter VIII

PASSING TRAINS .... 289

Chapter IX

SAYONARA 297

Chapter X

THE MEETING AT AOYAMA . . . 306

[xiii]

Boofe €>ne

CHAPTER I

CIjc

TT T was evening at Ikao, the famous town of hot
X springs in Joshu. A lady stood gazing at the
beautiful scene revealed through an open screen
in the third story of the Chigira Hotel. Her age
was eighteen or thereabouts. Her hair was dressed
in a tasteful mage1, and she wore a gray crape gown,
relieved by green bows at her breast.

She was of a fair and clear complexion, and
though her eyebrows were a little too close to-
gether and her cheeks were somewhat thin, she
seemed to be as gentle in nature as she was slender
and graceful in figure. She was not like the plum-
blossom, daring to bloom in the bleak north wind,
nor like the cherry-flower, whose petals are blown
hither and thither like butterflies in the spring

1 Mage, or, in full, marumage ; the head dress of a married
woman.

[I]

morn. She was, indeed, like the shy daisy dimly
discovering itself in the dusk of a summer eve.

In the evening of that spring day the far-away
hills of Nikko and Ashio, and those on the borders
of Echigo, as well as the nearer peaks of Onoko,
Komochi, and Akagi, were glorious in the rays of
the sinking sun. Even the cawing of the crows,
flying from a tree just beneath, seemed to be toned
with gold, as two fragments of cloud floated out
from behind Akagi. The lady at the screen in
the third story was watching their movement.

The downy clouds, not larger than could be
embraced with both arms, slowly separated from
the summit, and, glittering like two golden butter-
flies, sailed on side by side toward Ashio through
the boundless mid-air. With the setting of the
sun and the rising of a cool breeze in the tawny
dusk, they now faded into pink, were blown off
one above the other, and were seen wandering
separate in the slowly darkening sky. But it was
only for a short time. The lower grew smaller
and smaller, and finally faded away almost unob-
served. The remaining fragment now turned into
dismal gray and wandered aimlessly.

Presently the hills and skies were shrouded in
darkness, and only the face of the lady at the

^onepmoon

screen in the third story was seen pale in the
night.

" Miss — Oh, what is the matter with me — I
am so forgetful," Iku said, laughingly. " Madam,
I should have said, I have just returned. How dark
it is. Madam Nami, where are you?"

Nami, as she was called, replied, " Here I am."

" Why are you out there ? Come in, quick ;
you'll catch cold. Hasn't master come home?"

"What is he doing, I wonder?" said the lady,
as she opened the screen and entered the room.
" You had better ask the clerk to send some one
for him."

" Yes, indeed, I will."

As she talked, Iku, an old woman of about fifty,
groped for a match in the dark and lighted the
lamp.

At that moment a maid of the house was heard
coming up the stairs, and, entering, she handed a
letter to Iku.

" Thank you for your trouble," said Iku. " The
baron is pretty late, but we have sent a boy for
him. He will be in before long. Here is a letter,"
she added, handing it to Nami-san.

" A letter from father ! Why does Takeo stay

[3]

so long? " At that, the lady in marumage took the
letter in her hand and looked at the familiar hand-
writing.

" A letter from my lord? " asked Iku. " I should
like to know what the news is. Surely he has
written us something funny, as usual."

The maid, after shutting the sliding screens and
attending to the fire, went down-stairs, and then
the old woman put the bundle she had brought
into a small closet, and approached Nami, saying:

" How cold it is here ! What a difference from
Tokyo!"

" You ought to expect that, as cherry-flowers are
blooming here in May. But come and sit nearer,
Iku."

" Excuse me," said Iku, as she sat down beside
her mistress.

The old woman, looking fondly at the face of her
young mistress, said : " I can hardly believe that
you, who sit so gracefully in mage, are the same little
one I had the honor of nursing. It seems but yes-
terday that, when your mother died, you cried
' Mamma ! ' on my back." With tears in her eyes she
continued : " On the day of your wedding I thought
how happy your mother would be if she could only
see you in your beautiful attire."

[41

fmepmoon

Iku wiped her eyes. The lady also sat with her
head bowed, as if she sympathized with the ser-
vant. The ring on her right hand, resting on the
lid of the fire-box, shone in brilliant lustre.

Presently the old woman looked up.

" I beg your pardon. I have been talking fool-
ishly. Old age makes me childish. Miss — madam,
you had so much trouble when a child. It is simply
wonderful how you could have lived through it.
But everything from now on will be so happy.
Your husband is such a tender-hearted man — "

At this moment a servant shouted from the stair-
way : " The baron has come back."

" Lord, but I am tired ! "

A young man of about twenty-three or so, and
in foreign dress, after removing the native trav-
elling sandals, walked up the hall and nodded
slightly to the women who came to meet him.
Suddenly he stopped and turned toward a lad who
bore a paper lantern.

" Thanks for your trouble. But put those flowers
in warm water, will you ? "

" Oh, how pretty ! " said the lady, as she came
down to meet him.

" Really, what pretty azaleas they are," Iku
[5]

chimed in. " Where did you get them, mas-
ter?"

" They are pretty, aren't they ? Look, here
is a yellow one. I want Nami-san to arrange these
to-morrow. Well, I'm going to take a bath now."

The lady and the old woman went back to the
room.

" My master is so lively. A naval officer is
always lively, isn't he, madam ? "

Without replying, the lady smiled, and, brushing
carefully her husband's overcoat, she touched it
furtively with her lips before she hung it up.

A few minutes later the sound of heavy foot-
steps on the stairs suddenly ceased at the outside
of the screen, and the young man entered the room,
ejaculating:

" There, now I feel refreshed."

" Well, you have taken your bath in no time,"
said Iku.

" I am a man, you know."

He laughed gaily, and with his wife's help put
on a broad-striped quilted kimono. He sat down
upon the cushion unceremoniously, and rubbed his
cheeks with both his hands. His head, with its
close-cut hair, was as rotund as a chestnut-worm,
and his sunburnt face was as red as an apple. His
[6]

f)onepmoon

eyebrows were dark and his eyes were bright, and,
although he had a " caterpillar-like " mustache, his
face was still youthful, and one could not help
smiling at its innocence.

" Here is a letter for you, dear," and Nami-san
gave him the letter.

" Ah, it looks as if it were from father."

The young man changed his position a little and
opened the letter. Another sealed letter dropped
from it.

" Here's a note for Nami-san. He seems to be
well. Ha, ha, such a joke! It seems as if I could
hear him speak." Smiling, he laid aside the
letter.

" Father wants me to tell you, Iku," said Nami,
looking up from her letter and turning toward the
old woman, who was setting the table for dinner,
" that you should take good care of yourself. You
are not used to the climate, and you will be liable
to suffer from your old complaint."

" Oh, it is very kind of him to say so."

" Now I want something to eat," said the young
man. " To-day I have had only two pieces of rice-
cake, and walked all day long. I feel very hungry.
Well, what do you call this fish? It doesn't look
like smelt."

[7]

" They call it ' yamame ' — don't they, Iku? "

" Yes, they do. This tastes good — very good.
Here, another bowl of rice, please."

" My master is very hungry."

" Naturally, for to-day I climbed Mount Soma
from Haruna, and then over to Futatsu-take. It
was while coming down over Byobu Rocks that I
met the boy they sent to look for me."

" Did you really walk so far? "

" Yes. The view from Mount Soma was splendid.
I wanted Nami-san to be with me. On one side is a
vast stretch of lowlands, through which the River
Tone winds away into the distance, while on the
other side rolling hills cluster one behind another,
and over their farthest ridges the white cap of
Fujiyama is dimly seen. If I could write verse,
I might challenge the poet Hitomaro." And he
laughed merrily. " Another bowl, please."

" How beautiful it must be ! How I would like
to go there! " said Nami-san.

" H'm, if Nami-san could climb I would decorate
her with the order of the Golden Kite. I never
saw in my life such a steep and rugged ascent.
About a dozen iron chains are fastened on the way,
and you have to help yourself up by them. To
me such a task is nothing, as my training at Yeda-
[8]

pontpmoon

jima, the naval academy, you know, enables me
even now to climb up a mast or suspend myself
from the rigging. But you have never touched
even the soil of Tokyo with your little feet, I
suppose."

"Bless me!" she said, smilingly, and blushing,
" I took gymnastics while at school — "

" Pooh ! One cannot rely much on gymnastics at
the Peeress's School. I remember once when I visited
the school I saw girls with fans doing all sorts of
things to the sound of a piano, while some were
singing a ' Song of Nations.' At first I thought
it to be a fancy dance. But I found that it was what
you call gymnastics! " He laughed again.

"You shouldn't say such things! "

" Let me tell you. There was standing next to
Yamaki's daughter a pretty girl with her long hair
hanging down her back, and in — what do you call
it? — yes, a plum-colored skirt, dancing without a
thought of the visitor. I am sure it was Nami-san !
What! not a word to say? "

" How you talk ! You know Yamaki's daugh-
ter?"

" Why, my father used to favor him, and he still
comes to see us, Nami-san. Now you are silenced,
aren't you? "

[9]

£l«mt«ti

"You talk — "

" Husband and wife must not quarrel so," said
Iku, laughingly. " Come, let's have tea and make
it up."

[10]

CHAPTER II

^ ^ "HE young man who appeared in the pre-
M ceding chapter was Baron Takeo Kawashima.
He had been married recently to Nami Kataoka,
eldest daughter of Viscount Lieutenant-General Ki
Kataoka, well known as a soldier. Availing himself
of a leave of absence, he had come to Ikao with his
bride and the old nurse Iku.

Nami's mother died when she was eight years
old. Being then so young, she could not remember
clearly how her mother looked. But she knew that
her mother was always tender, and she remembered
that at her death-bed she took Nami's little hand
into hers, and said : " My dear child, mamma is
going to a far-off land. So you must be a very good
child, and love your papa and little Ko-chan." Then
she wept. " You will think of me after I am gone,
won't you ? "

And she patted Nami's head, whose hair, now
long, was then cut short on the forehead. These
memories had sunk deep in Nami's heart, and not
a day passed without her thinking about them.

A year later her stepmother came. After that,
everything underwent a complete change. Her own
mother was from a Samurai family of note, and,
although she had been strict in all things, the ser-
vants bore witness that such a peaceful home as
hers was rarely to be found. The second mother
was also of a noted Samurai family, but she had
been sent to England in childhood, and was so
thoroughly Europeanized that her active nature
would not give her rest until she had effected a
reform in everything that might revive the sweet
memory of Nami's real mother. To Nami's father
she would express her thoughts on things small and
great without the least reserve, and he was wont
to say in jest: " Well, all right. You know better
than I." One day, however, when his favorite
military secretary was talking with him over sake,
he said, laughingly, as he glanced at his wife : " I
tell you, Namba, you must not take an educated
girl for your wife, because you will be mercilessly
ridiculed for your ignorance." Witty as he was,
Namba was completely at a loss how to answer
him, and did nothing but toy awkwardly with his
glass. Namba was said to have told his wife after-
ward that their daughters must not study too much,

[12]

and that their training should be simply that of a
public school.

Nami was a good and bright child. Her father
took pleasure in taking his hat from her hand, as
in the arms of the nurse, when only two years old,
she was wont to bid him good-by at the porch. The
heart of a child is like a blade of grass in spring.
Though it may be covered with late snow, yet it
grows when the snow is gone and the grass is free
from human tread. The sorrow Nami felt at her
mother's death was too deep-seated for a child of
eight, yet who could doubt that she would bloom
into a lovely flower if the kindly light of the sun
should shine upon her. When she met her step-
mother, — the large mouth, the eyes somewhat
oblique, the hair dressed in a foreign style, and the
costume overperfumed, — she was naturally a little
shy at first.

But gentle Nami would easily have been won over
had not the stepmother been strangely prejudiced
against the little child. Being devoid of tact, selfish,
pedantic, and somewhat disagreeable, she treated her,
a simple and artless child of eight or nine, as if
she were a full-grown girl. The poor child was
always left alone to feel how sad and cold the
world was. Nami had a mother, but she could
[^3]

not love her; she had a sister, but she could not
love her. To be sure, she had her father, Iku the
nurse, and an aunt, who was sister to her real
mother. But, however much she was attached to
them, her aunt did not live with her, and Iku was
but a servant. And, indeed, with Iku, as her
stepmother kept her eyes open to everything in the
house, a little favor shown to or from Nami would
in the end bring harm rather than good. Only her
father — he was all love. But even he was careful
not to cross her mother — though all this was done
out of kindness to Nami. He would correct the
child in her mother's presence, but behind the latter's
back he would give comfort in a few but sympathetic
words. This vague struggle in his mind was more
than appreciated by the quick-witted Nami, and
her little heart would swell writh a tender and
grateful feeling toward him, which would make
her dare to go through fire and water for his sake.
Yet, if she showed even a shadow of such emotion,
her stepmother would cause Nami great uneasiness
by her dissatisfaction at such an unwarranted intru-
sion into her rightful domain. But if Nami kept
silent and reserved, and remained apparently im-
passive, she would be censured ruthlessly for being
dull, obstinate, and perverse. Once, when a slight

J&amUfeo

misunderstanding arose, a volley of disparaging
words was hurled at her in voluble Choshu speech
and in English imported logic. And not alone was
Nami reviled, but her dead mother was openly
scoffed at. Whenever she wanted to retaliate, how-
ever, the thought of her father would immediately
silence her bitter words.

At another time she was suspected so unjustly
that she wept bitterly over her misfortune behind
a curtain. But had she really a father? Yes, she
had a father and a loving one. But to a girl
whose home is her world, one mother means more
than five fathers put together. And with a step-
mother like Nami's, ten years will easily foster a
perverse nature in a child and take away the gloss
of her youth and beauty.

" Really," the viscount used to say, " there is
nothing childish about Nami. She is so dull and
gloomy." Ah, there is really no difference in
flowers, whether they bloom in a pot of rude earthen-
ware or in costly china — they all need the warm-
ing light of the sun. But Nami was a flower
blooming in perpetual shade.

So when Nami became engaged to Takeo, and at
last the wedding ceremony was over, she drew a
long breath of satisfaction, and her father, step-
[15]

mother, aunt, and Iku did so, too — each in his or
her own way.

The old nurse used to murmur that, though the
viscountess loved to dress herself fancifully, she
would get for Nami nothing but homely-looking
things. The old nurse even wept over the scanti-
ness of Nami's bridal outfit, and vainly dreamed
upon the days long past when her mother was still
alive. Yet Nami was glad to leave her father's
house, and the thought that freedom and happiness
yet unknown to her were awaiting her arrival made
easy the parting with her dear father.

[16]

CHAPTER III

^T HE road that leads from Ikao to Mizusawa-
M no-Kwannon is about three miles in length
and winds like a snake along the side of a naked
hill, with the exception of one place where the
hill dips into a dell and another where the path
dives into a ravine and emerges on the other side. It
is so well beaten that you could easily go over it
blindfolded. Behind and below, the plain of Jomo
lies in full view. A grassy stretch of land extends to
the right and left of the road, and in springtime,
when, from the soil black with burnt ashes of the
last year's weeds, fresh blades of rushes, bush-clovers,
goldenrods, bluebells, and the like make their
appearance, they weave themselves into a delicately
patterned carpet, dotted here and there with pretty
flowers and the slender stems of moss-veiled ferns.
To a lover of nature a long spring day spent in
such a place will appear to be only too short.

On a sunny afternoon Takeo and Nami had
come here with Iku and a maid of the house to
gather young ferns. A little tired after their work,

[17]

they chose a comfortable spot for a resting-place,
and upon it the maid spread a rug. Takeo seated
himself unceremoniously on it, but Nami took off
her sandals, and dusting her kimono lightly with
her pink handkerchief, sat down gracefully, saying:

" How soft this is! Such a couch is fit for a
king."

" Oh, miss — I beg your pardon — madam, you
look beautiful to-day. And I have not heard you
sing like that for a long time." And Iku looked
into her face with sparkling eyes.

" I have sung too much and feel thirsty."

" I'm sorry I did not bring some tea," apologized
the maid, and, untying a package, she disclosed
oranges, cakes, and sushi.

" Oranges will do very well," rejoined Takeo.
And, peeling one of them, he continued : " Look
here, Nami-san. You can't peel an orange like that,
can you? "

" Oh, yes, I'm sure I can."

" My lord," interposed the maid, " the ferns you
have gathered contain a great many weeds."

" Be careful ! You are trying to cover your own
fault by finding fault with others," said Takeo.
" But what fine weather this is! It makes me feel
splendid."

[18]

JFern

" A beautiful sky, indeed ! A piece of cloth like
that would make a fine gown for a lady," Nami
remarked.

" And perhaps even better for a sailor's coat ? "

" How fragrant everything smells ! Listen, a lark
is singing yonder."

" Well, I've had enough to eat. What do you
say to work again, Matsu?" said the old nurse
to the maid, and they both went off to gather more
ferns.

" Be sure and leave some of the ferns, Iku. Isn't
she lively for her age, Nami-san ? "

" Indeed she is."

" Nami-san, don't you feel tired ? "

" No, not a bit to-day. I think I have never had
such a good time."

" When I'm at sea, I often come across fine
views; but such a beautiful landscape as this from
a high hill is especially lovely. Don't you feel
refreshed? You see the white glittering wall on
the left down there? That is Shibukawa, where
we had lunch on our way up. And in this direction
you see something that looks like a blue ribbon?
That is the River Tone. You see it, don't you?
And then, as you follow the slope of Mount Akagi
— well, it is where you see smoke rising — way
['9]

Jdamt'lta

down the slope there is something nestling. That
is the town of Mayebashi. What is that silvery
thread away yonder? That is also the Tone. You
can't see any further; it is too hazy. We should
have brought a field-glass, shouldn't we, Nami-san ?
But perhaps the dim and hazy background may be
more poetic, after all."

Nami laid her hand on Takeo's knee, and sighed.

" How I would like to be here with you forever! "
she said.

Two golden butterflies appeared, and, touching
lightly the waving sleeve of Nami, fluttered away;
and then a rustling sound as of footsteps over
the grass was heard, and suddenly, a shadow
fell slantingly before the lovers.

"Takeo-san!"

" Hullo, Chijiwa-kun. How did you happen to
find us here ? "

The newcomer was a man of about twenty-six,
dressed in a lieutenant's uniform. He was ex-
ceptionally handsome, even for a soldier, and, singu-
larly enough, his face was not tanned. There was,
however, something that marred his good looks;
and that was a peculiar sarcastic expression of the
mouth and a disagreeable staring of the jet-black

[20]

Clje Jern (Satjjertng;

eyes. This young man, Yasuhiko Chijiwa by name,
was a cousin to Takeo, and, though inferior to him
in rank, he was nevertheless one of the ablest mem-
bers in the Headquarters Staff.

" You are surprised to find me here, aren't
you? I had some business yesterday at Takasaki,
and stayed there overnight. This morning I went
to Shibukawa, where I heard that it was only a
short distance to Ikao. So I came this way, and
called on you at your hotel. They told me you
were out fern-gathering, and so I followed here.
But I must go back to-morrow. I fear I'm in-
truding."

" Oh, nothing of the sort. Did you go and see
my mother? "

" Yes, I did so yesterday morning. She looked
well. But she seemed to be quite anxious for your re-
turn." Casting a sharp glance at Nami's face from
his jet-black eyes, he added, " Your people at Aka-
saka are also well."

All this time Nami's face was growing red, and
now she colored still more and looked down.

" Look here, now I have got reinforcements," ex-
claimed Takeo. " I sha'n't be beaten any more.
This is a union of the military and the naval forces.
Thousands of Amazons can't do us a bit of harm
[21]

now. Why, these women," pointing at the nurse
and the maid, who had just returned, " tried to
find fault with me when we were alone by saying
that I could not gather as many ferns as they, or
that I gathered weeds and not ferns."

The old woman started, and slightly knit her
brows, as she said: " Chijiwa-sama. What a sur-
prise to see you here ! "

" I wired him a short time ago for reinforce-
ments," said Takeo.

"You are joking," said Iku. "Did you, really?
So you go back to-morrow?"

" Talking about returning, madam, we must get
back before you in time for dinner."

" Yes, that's right. Do so. We are to have
Chijiwa-kun with us this evening, and you must
have something nice ready. You will find us
hungry as wolves. Why, are you going too, Nami-
san? You'd better stay with us. Are you trying
to get away with your confederates? Don't worry.
We won't tease you any more."

Nami could not refuse, and remained while Iku
and the maid made up a bundle of the things they
had brought with them, and departed.

The three began to hunt for ferns again, and, as
it was not too late in the day, they wandered as

[22]

fern

far as Mizusawa-no-Kawannon before turning back
to retrace their way down the hill.

The evening sun, resting on the ridge of Mount
Monokiki, blazed in its refulgent splendor. The
grass on the right and left of the road caught its
golden rays and seemed to burn in a single sheet
of fire, while shadows of lonely pines here and there
measured their long length on the hill. Far away,
the distant hills were silently bathing in the flood
of light, and the evening smoke of many hearths
rose from the villages at their feet. A farmer and
his oxen, plodding along, completed the picture, the
still evening air resounding with the lowing of the
animals at the driver's threats.

Takeo and Chijiwa walked abreast, talking, while
Nami followed behind. The three sauntered lei-
surely, crossed the dell, and approached the up-
hill road glittering in the sun.

Takeo stopped suddenly.

" Gracious ! I have left my cane. It's just where
we rested awhile on the way back. Wait a moment,
please. I'll get it."

" Let me go with you, dear," said Nami-san.

" No, you had better wait. It is not very far.
I'll run all the way."

Takeo almost compelled Nami to stay, and, drop-

JQami fed

ping the bundle of ferns on the grass, quickly made
his way down into the dell.

After Takeo had gone Nami stood silent, a few
steps away from Chijiwa. Takeo's figure was now
dimly seen on the hill across the dell, but it was
soon blotted out of sight at the turning.

"Nami-ko-san!"

Nami, whose face was turned away, shuddered
at being spoken to so familiarly.

" Nami-ko-san ! " he repeated, drawing nearer.

Nami receded a step or so, but was forced to look
up, and, meeting the stare of those jet-black eyes,
turned her face away again.

" I congratulate you! "

She was silent ; her face grew red.

" I congratulate you ! You must be very happy.
But," he added, with a scornful tone in his voice,
" you know there is one who is not happy."

Nami stood with her eyes on the ground, and
tried to stab the grass with the end of her par-
asol.

"Nami-ko-san!"

Like a squirrel, terrified by the persistent pursuit
of a snake, she now faced her foe.

"What is it?"

[24]

Clje JFern

" The rank of baron and money — that is not so
bad, is it ? Why, I congratulate you ! "

"What are you talking about?"

" To marry a man of nobility and of fortune
even if he is a fool, and to scorn the man in love
with her if he has no money, — this is the principle
of an upper-class girl nowadays — though, of course,
you are an exception."

Gentle as she was, Nami flushed with anger, and
looked fiercely at Chijiwa.

"What are you talking about? Repeat that in
the presence of Takeo, you coward. To send me
such a letter, without first asking my father like a
man! I won't endure it any longer."

"What?"

Chijiwa looked black, and, biting his lips, he
tried to approach her.

Suddenly the neighing of a horse was heard below,
and the head of an old farmer on horseback came
into view over the hill.

" Good evening to you," and the rider removed
his hat and passed by, looking back over his shoulder

•K

and wondering who the young couple might be.

Chijiwa did not move; the rigidity of his face
relaxed somewhat, but gave place to the sarcastic
twist of his closed lips.

[25]

" H'm, send it back to me if you don't care to
keep it."

"Send what back?"

" What you just spoke of. The thing you hate! "

" I haven't it."

"Where is it?"

" I put it in the fire — the filthy thing! "

"Are you sure of that? No one has seen it?"

" Of course not."

"Very sure?"

" Don't speak to me."

The enraged gaze of Nami was met by a fierce
and disagreeable stare from Chijiwa's black eyes,
which sent a cold shiver through her, and made her
turn away. At this moment, at the crest of the
hill across the dell, Takeo appeared, his face rosy
as a cherry shining in the evening sun.

Nami drew a long breath.

"Nami-ko-san!"

Chijiwa persistently tried to catch Nami's eyes,
but they evaded his. Finally he said : " Nami-ko-
san, one word before I leave you. Be discreet. Keep
the secret, by all means, from Takeo-san, and from
your parents as well. If not, you will be sure to
repent."

Emphasizing these words with a threatening look,
[26]

jFcrn (Satljmng;

Chijiwa turned away and stooped to gather some
wild flowers.

With hurried steps and a flourish of his stick,
Takeo came up the hill, saying: " Have I kept
you waiting long? I am almost out of wind; I've
run all the way, you know. But I found the stick
all right. Why, Nami-san, what's the matter ? You
don't look well."

Chijiwa, fixing the violets he had just picked
in a knot on his breast, said : " You took so much
time in coming back that she was worried with the
thought that you might lose your way." And he
laughed.

Takeo laughed in return. " Was she ? Now let's
go home."

Three shadows moved slowly abreast along the
ground toward Ikao.

CHAPTER IV

€l)e f ouge of gamafei

/N the corner of a. second-class compartment in
the 3 P. M. up-train from Takasaki, the only
passenger was seated with his legs stretched out on
the seat. He was reading a paper while he smoked.
It was Yasuhiko Chijiwa.

He threw aside the paper impatiently.

"Pshaw!"

Crushing angrily with his foot the cigarette which
had slipped out of his teeth as he spoke, he spat
out of the window, and hesitated a moment. Pres-
ently, in a mood of indecision, he walked the length
of the compartment and then returned to his seat.
He folded his arms and shut his eyes, the black
eyebrows being drawn close together.

Yasuhiko Chijiwa was an orphan. His father,
a Samurai of the Kagoshima clan, had been killed
in the War of Restoration. His mother was carried
away by a plague when the boy was six years old.
He was taken care of by his aunt, sister to his mother
and mother to Takeo Kawashima. His aunt was
[28]

!)0ttse of

kind to Yasuhiko, but his uncle did not treat him
at all kindly. On occasions of ceremony Takeo
was dressed in a stiff silk skirt and sat in an upper
seat, but Chijiwa had nothing on but a cheap cotton
one, and had to occupy a lower seat. Thus he was
early to learn his position: that, unlike Takeo,
who had parents, fortune, and rank, he was destined
to work his way with his hands and brain.
Naturally, he soon learned to dislike Takeo and to
hate his uncle.

He discovered that there were two ways — the
broad and the narrow — to succeed in life, and
he swore by all means to take the easier road. So,
while he was in the Military School, to which his
uncle had sent him, and while his classmates were
troubling themselves with examinations and grade-
marks, Chijiwa was not slow to form acquaintance
with influential men from his own province, and
was careful to select such friends as would be of
benefit to him in the future. His cleverness was
first shown soon after his graduation. While others
had not yet recovered from their joy at the honors
they had won, he had managed to get into the
Military Headquarters. Unlike his comrades, who
were sent to regiments of infantry here and there
and ordered to serve, in an endless succession of drills
[29]

and marches, Chijiwa was settled in an enviable
position where the secrets of important military
affairs might chance to reach one's ears over the
social pipe.

The next important problem to him was mar-
riage. He understood that it was only by a good
matrimonial alliance that one could succeed in life,
just as by the interlocking of limbs monkeys are
able to reach water. He surveyed the field, and
found that the daughter of this marquis was to
be married to that baron, of this count to that
high official, and of this millionaire to the son of
that marquis. His sharp eyes at last alighted on
the house of General Kataoka. Though he was
on the reserved list, General Kataoka was a man
of wide reputation and of special favor at court.
Chijiwa was quick to divine his secret, yet powerful,
influence; and he approached him gradually under
some slight pretext, and made clever advances to-
ward his family. His eyes were fixed on the eldest
daughter, Nami. He chose her because he per-
ceived that Nami was the favorite of the general,
while her stepmother did not care for her and
wanted to marry her off at the first opportunity.

The selection, however, was not unaided by his
love for her quiet and noble demeanor. He watched
[30]

bouse of

his opportunity. The general was a man who never
betrayed his feelings, and so Chijiwa could not
easily sound the impression that he had made on
him. But he was sure that he had gained the favor
of Madam Kataoka. The second daughter, named
Koma, who was fifteen years of age and of a for-
ward nature, was also a good friend of his. There
were two more children born of the second wife,
but these did not concern him. There was, how-
ever, an old nurse, Iku, who had served from the
days of Nami's mother, and was retained by a
special desire of the general when all the rest of
the servants had been dismissed with the coming
of the present lady. This nurse was always with
Nami, and showed little regard for Chijiwa. He
felt a little uneasy at this, but made light of it
in view of his decision to court Nami directly.
Chijiwa waited a year for an opportunity. But he
was now impatient, and he boldly prepared a love-
letter, sealed it in a double envelope, and, addressing
it in a feminine hand, sent it to Nami by post.

On that day he was suddenly ordered to take
an official trip. When he returned, after a lapse
of three months, he was astounded to find that, in
his absence, through the match-making of Viscount
Kato, a Member of Upper House, Nami was wedded

[30

to no less than his own cousin, Takeo Kawa-
shima !

Chijiwa, enraged at this unexpected failure, tore
into rags a piece of beautiful crape which he had
bought at Kyoto as gift to Nami, in the hope that
its bright colors might be an augury of his suc-
cess.

But Chijiwa was not a man to be utterly crushed
by failure, and he soon recovered from his disap-
pointment. He feared, however, that if Nami
should tell her father or husband about his love-
letter, he would suffer a second loss, and be de-
prived of an influential patron. Discreet as she
was, he was not quite sure of Nami's feeling toward
him, and, availing himself of his trip to Takasaki,
he visited the newly married couple at Ikao, and
slyly investigated matters. One feeling now dom-
inated him, and that was his hatred of Takeo.

Thinking that he heard some one call " Takeo,
Takeo," Chijiwa aroused himself suddenly from his
reverie. Looking out of the window, he saw that
his train had just reached a certain station, and
that the porter called " Ageo, Ageo."

"Damn!"

Cursing himself, Chijiwa rose and walked the
[32]

of gamafci

compartment. Shrugging his shoulders as if to
shake off something obnoxious, he resumed his seat.
A look of scorn was on his eyes and lips.

The train left Ageo, and, after passing several
stations with the speed of the wind, it reached Oji.
Five or six persons entered the second-class com-
partment, noisily crunching the gravel on the plat-
form under their heels. Among them was a man
of about fifty, with a dark red face, eyes whose
ends turned downward, and with a red mole like
a pea under his left eye. He was richly dressed
in double garments of ichiraku silk, with a heavy
gold chain wound around a white crape belt, and he
wore a thick gold ring on his right finger.

As he sat down, his eyes casually met those of
Chijiwa.

"Oh, Chijiwa-san!"

"Well, how do you do?"

" Where have you been ? " As he said this, the
man with the red mole arose and sat down next
to Chijiwa.

" To Takasaki."

"To Takasaki?" After scanning Chijiwa's face
for awhile, the man added, in a low voice: "Are
you in a hurry? If not, let's take supper together."

Chijiwa nodded.

[33]

Near the ferry of Hashiba, and hard by the
water, there stood a house which, but for the sign
reading " Villa owned by Hyozo Yamaki," might
have been taken for a fashionable rendezvous. In
one of the rooms of the second story, — on whose
paper screen a fanciful shimada1 in silhouette might
appropriately appear amidst a seductive strain of
music, or over whose greenish mattings a crimson
rug might have been spread and cards played thereon,
— in such a room, lighted by a shaded lamp, in lieu
of the more prosaic electric light, sat at their ease,
with glasses and plates lying in disorder, Chijiwa
and the Red Mole, who was no other than the
master of the house, Hyozo Yamaki.

That no maid was there to wait upon them was
apparently intentional. In front of the Red Mole
there was a small, open memorandum-book, with
a pencil lying across it. The names of many per-
sons, with their addresses and official titles, were
written in it. They were marked Math such signs
as a circle, a square, a triangle, and numerals and
letters of the alphabet, some of which were crossed
out or had been again restored.

" Well, Chijiwa-san. It is agreed, then. But

1 Shimada; the head-dress of a Japanese singer, geisha
(as here), or of a young unmarried woman.

[34]

I)oucic of

I want you to advise me at once when it is ar-
ranged. You are quite sure of success ? "

" Yes, pretty sure. It's already in the hands of
the Minister. But, you know, the other party is
also urgent, so you cannot do better than to be
liberal." Pointing to the names in the book : " This
fellow is a regular knave. You will have to bridle
him pretty closely."

" How about this one?"

" He's no good. I don't know him well, but he
is said to be very scrupulous. The only way to
approach him is to go openly and on your knees.
If you don't succeed, take care."

" I tell you, there are many sensible persons in
the army, but there are quite as many just the
opposite. Last year, you know, when we contracted
to supply uniforms to a certain regiment, every-
thing passed quite satisfactorily in the usual way.
But there was one captain — what was his name ?
— with a red mustache. That fellow troubled us
a great deal by finding fault with our goods. So
when our manager sent him the customary box of
cake, he declared that he would not be bribed, and
that it would be disgraceful for a soldier to be
influenced by presents. And imagine to yourself
how he at last threw the box on the floor. You
[35]

see, it was full of silver, with a thin layer of hard
cake on the top. What a fix! The autumn-leaf
cakes mingling with flakes of silver snow rolled all
over the floor! At this, the fellow got still angrier,
and, saying that he had never known such a shameful
thing, threatened to denounce us publicly. We
were barely able to keep him quiet. It was
such a hard task. It is on account of such fellows
that we have suffered so much trouble. Talking
of troublesomeness, Takeo-san is also a man of
that character. It's almost impossible to bring him
to an understanding. The other day — "

" But Takeo inherited such a fortune from his
father that he can afford to do as he pleases —
to be upright and stiff as a poker. As for me, you
know, being single-handed — "

" Oh, I had forgotten." The Red Mole looked
for a moment at Chijiwa's face, and then took out
ten bills of five yen each. ' This is for your
carriage fare. The real thing is to follow."

" Thanks, I accept without reserve," and he put
them quickly into his inner pocket. " But, Yamaki-
san!"

"Yes?"

" It's a commonplace truth that one can't reap
without sowing."

[36]

£)ott6c of

Yamaki smiled drily. He patted Chijiwa on the
back, and said : " You are a smart fellow ! It's a
pity you are not at least the Chief of Commissariat."

Chijiwa laughed. " But Yamaki, the shorter
sword of the hero Kiyomasa is more effective than
the three feet three inches1 of a child."

" Well said ! But, my friend, I warn you about
this speculation business. An outsider will rarely
succeed."

" Oh, well. It is only odd money, you know.
But I must go now. I'll see you in a few days.
As soon as I know about it. No, thank you; it
will be better to take a kuruma on the way."

" Well, then. Sorry my wife can't see you this
evening. She has to be with my daughter."

" Oh, O-Toyo-san ? Is she sick ? "

" Yes, for about a month. That's why my
wife brought her here. I tell you, Chijiwa-san,
don't take a wife or have children rashly. Nothing
is better than a bachelor's life for making money."

Chijiwa then left Yamaki's villa, the master and
the maid accompanying him as far as the porch.

Turning from his guest, Yamaki went to his room.
Opening the sliding door noiselessly, a middle-aged
1 Three feet three inches : the length of a large sword.
[37]

woman entered and seated herself by his side. Her
complexion was fair, her hair was thin, and she had
two prominent front teeth.

"Has Chijiwa-san gone?"

" Yes, he has just left. How is O-Toyo? "

The woman with the prominent front teeth looked
grave and said, " I am almost out of patience with
her. Kane," speaking to a servant, " you may leave
the room for a little while. Why, to-day she again
dashed a cup into pieces, rent her clothes, and did
many other naughty things at the slightest cause.
And she is eighteen years old! "

" After all, we must send her to Sugamo asylum,
eh? Poor girl!"

" This is no time for joking. But I really pity
her. She said to Take to-day: ' Ungrateful Takeo-
san! How cruel he is! I sent him a New Year's
gift last year of a pair of worsted socks I knit
myself, and a handkerchief I embroidered, and also
gloves and other things besides. Last New Year's
Day I made him a present of a red worsted shirt,
and all this out of my own purse. And, mark
you, without the slightest notice to me, he mar-
ried that ugly, cross, and proud Nami-ko-san.
Oh, how cruel, how cruel! I'm a daughter of
Yamaki. Why should I be eclipsed by Nami-ko-

[38]

DOUBT of JJamafet

san ? How unkind and cruel ! ' And she wept.
My dear, can anything be done for her? She is
so much in love with him ! "

" Nonsense. ' Like mother like daughter,' as
the saying is. You are truly mother to that naughty
girl. You know Kawashima is a newly created
noble and has a large fortune, and he is in no way
a fool. I did what I could to make O-Toyo his
wife, but everything came to naught. The mar-
riage is over and the thing is settled. Unless
O-Nami-san dies or is divorced, there is no hope.
So give up such foolish notions, and try to get
her married to some better man. You're an unen-
terprising woman."

" That's all folly. I cannot think as you do,
and I am not so clever as you are — you who at
your age of fifty still make a fool of yourself with
women — "

" I am by no means a match for your eloquence.
But you are indeed f — that is, you easily get angry.
I love O-Toyo just as much as you do. She is
our daughter. So, instead of dreaming over im-
possible things, I am trying to find some place where
she can be happy all her life. Come, O-Sumi, let us
go and talk to her a little while." They went
together through a corridor to Toyo's room.
[39]

Hyozo Yamaki was a man of obscure origin, but
he was now counted a " gentleman-merchant." At
the beginning of his career, he had received no
little favor from the deceased father of Takeo, and
he still remained faithful to the Kawashima family.
This, some averred, was due to the fact that the
Kawashima House was one of the richest among
the new nobility, but such criticism was too exacting.
He had his residence in Shiba, and a villa near the
Hashiba Ferry. Formerly he had been somewhat
of a usurer, but now his chief business was as a
contractor to the army and other government de-
partments. His son was now in America for a
commercial education, while his daughter Toyo had
till lately been attending the Peeress's school. His
wife — no one knew where and how he came to
marry her — was only known as a Kyotonian. She
was a homely woman, and some even wondered how
Yamaki could remain satisfied with her. But the
fact was that he had several mistresses to whom
such adjectives as charming, lovely, and the like
could be applied, and who were constantly awaiting
his visits. And of this his wife was well aware.

In the alcove a harp, a mandolin, and a glass box
containing a large doll are placed. In one corner
[40]

SDJje ^otise of

there is a beautiful writing-table, and in another
a cheval-glass. Wondering what peeress might be
the occupant of this beautiful room, you are tempted
to look at a bed, all in silk, placed in the middle.
On it a girl of about seventeen is lying on her
side, tossing wrildly her corn-silk hair in a large
shimada. Her complexion is rosy, and her cheeks
are full and round. You might imagine from this
that she was pretty, but, as a matter of fact, her
features are altogether too rotund. Her lips are
parted as if she were too weary to close them, and
the eyes under her delicate eyebrows are surrounded
by superfluous flesh, and look as if, veiled in a spring
haze, they had just awakened from a preexistent
sleep.

Ejaculating " Fool! " to the maid who had just
left the room, laughing in her sleeve at her mistress's
commands, the girl feverishly threw off the bed-
clothes, got out of bed, and took from the alcove
a large picture, in which a group of schoolgirls
were represented in uniform hakama. She looked
earnestly at it with eyes slender as a thread; and
then snapped her fingers at the face of one of the
figures. To show her dislike still more, she scratched
the picture with her finger-nail.

The sliding door was heard to open.
[41]

JQami-fco

"Who is it? Take?"

" Yes, I am Take, — a bald-headed Take," and,
laughingly, her father Yamaki and her mother came
in and sat by the bed. The girl tried to conceal
the picture, and bent over in a half-reclining posture.

"How do you feel, O-Toyo? Better? What
is it that you hid just now? Let me see. Let me
see. Let — me — see — what — it — is ? This is
Nami-ko-san's face, isn't it? Mercy! How you
have spoilt it! A hundred times wiser to offer a
cursing prayer at some shrine in the dead of night
than do such a naughty thing."

His wife, making a wry face, exclaimed : " Don't
suggest such a thing ! "

" O-Toyo, you are a daughter of Hyozo Yamaki,
aren't you? Be brave, and try your luck again.
Instead of remaining faithful to such a petty fellow
who does not return your love, my dear child, make
bold to catch a millionaire's son, such as Mitsui, or
Mitsubushi, or the son of a marshal, a prime min-
ister, or, better than that, some foreign prince.
How can you be so spiritless?"

Fret and cry as she did in the presence of her
mother, her Ladyship O-Toyo was utterly helpless
before her father. She remained moody, and made
no answer.

[42]

of

" No answer, my child ? You can't forget Takeo-
san? Well, well, you still love him, do you?"
Say, O-Toyo, wouldn't you like to go and see Kyoto
for a change? It is such a pleasant trip! There
are many interesting sights worth seeing, and, be-
sides, you may go to Nishijin, a famous weaving
district, and get a beautiful obi or triple robes. How
would you like that? You can't afford to miss it,
can you? It's a long time since you were there,
O-Sumi," he said, turning to his wife. " You had
better go with O-Toyo."

"You will go with us, I suppose?" she asked
him.

" I ? Oh, nonsense. You don't know how busy
I am."

" Then I sha'n't go, either."

" How is that? You don't mean to obey me?"

" Ha, ha."

"What?"

" Ha, ha, ha."

" I don't like to hear you laugh like that. Tell
me why you won't go."

" I can't let you out of my sight," said his wife.

" Pshaw ! How dare you say such a thing before
O-Toyo? O-Toyo, what your mother says is
false. Don't pay any attention to it."

[43]

" You can't play the hypocrite with me," O-Sumi
rejoined.

" A truce to such talk. But come, O-Toyo, don't
worry. Cheer up. Have patience, and all will
come right."

[44]

CHAPTER V

General at

ON a Saturday afternoon in the middle of June,
when the chestnut-trees by his house at Aka-
saka were in bloom, the Viscount Lieutenant-General
Kataoka was sitting comfortably in his study-chair.
He was not much over fifty, but his forehead was
somewhat bald and his hair was turning gray. His
corpulent body weighed about two hundred pounds,
and even an Arab courser would be likely to sweat
under him. His thick neck was almost buried in
his square shoulders, and his double chin seemed
joined to his breast. His abdomen was large, his
thighs thick as those of an ox. His face was brown,
his nose large, his lips thick, his beard scanty, and
his eyebrows thin. His eyes, however, out of har-
mony to the rest of his body, were narrow like those
of an elephant, and mild to look upon. There was
also a smile lurking constantly about his mouth,
giving a humorous cast to his countenance.

It happened that in the fall of some years ago,
the general was hunting in a hilly district. He was
clad in his ordinary clothes, and, chancing to ask for
[45]

a. cup of tea at a small hut where an old woman was
living alone, she carefully surveyed him and ex-
pressed her admiration.

" How big you are ! You've shot some game, I
suppose? "

The general smilingly said : " No, not any."

" Oh, you can't make a living out of hunting.
Work as a day-laborer with your big body, I tell
you, and you could make fifty yen."

"In a month?"

" Oh, no ! In a year, of course. But come and
get to work. I'll let you have a job any time."

" Well, thank you. I may come again and ask
your advice."

" Do so, by all means. Your big body is too
good to waste on hunting."

This humorous incident was one of the favorite
anecdotes with which he amused his friends. By
one unacquainted with the man, he might be judged
no better than the old woman judged him. But
to one who knew him well, this self-reliant soldier
was a living wall of iron in times of trouble. His
body massive as a little hill, and his spirit serene
as that of the gods, would make easy the hearts of a
host of soldiers, trembling before impending danger.

On the table near by was placed a blue pot of
[46]

Clje (General at |)ome

straight-growing dwarf bamboos. High up on the
walls were hung pictures of the emperor and em-
press; lower, and on the farther side, was hung
a tablet on which were two characters, written by
Nanshu, signifying " Be Charitable." On the
bookcase some rows of books; on the mantelpiece
and on the triangular shelf, in one corner, a half-
dozen pictures of Japanese and foreigners, some of
whom were in uniform.

The green curtains being drawn aside, the six
windows on the east and south were opened wide.
To the east, over across the crowded streets of
Tami-machi below, the eye could command the leafy
hill of Reinan, over which the spire of the Atago
Tower raised its tiny head. A kite was seen circling
over it. To the south there lay a garden shaded by
blooming chestnut-trees, and through an opening
in them could be seen a poplar in the compound of
the Hikawa Shrine, resembling a green spear.

The early summer sky, as seen from the windows,
shone like blue satin. Here and there, among the
fresh leaves, creamy tassel-like chestnut blossoms
bloomed in profusion, painted against the azure of
the sky. One branch jutted out near the window.
Ungraceful as it was, it was loaded with flowers,
like epaulets, and its leaves, filtering the light of

[47]

the sun, broke it into rays of emerald, sapphire,
and amber. At the slightest breath of wind the
fragrance was wafted stealthily into the study, and
the lavender shadows from the window danced
over a page of the " Present Condition of the
Siberian Railroad," held in the general's left hand.
Closing for a moment his narrow eyes, he drew a
breath, and then turned them, as they slowly opened,
to the pamphlet.

Somewhere outside, the sound of a well-pulley was
heard like the rolling of a bowl, but it soon stopped.
The quiet of the afternoon now settled upon the
house, when suddenly two little rogues were seen
looking for a chance to steal into the house.

Through the slightly opened door they stealthily
thrust in their heads, and then drew them back.
Then the sound of tittering was heard outside. One
of them was a boy of about eight, dressed in a
sailor suit, and the other was a girl, younger by
two or three years, with her hair long over her
brow, and clad in purple striped clothes with a
red obi.

The two little rogues hesitated awhile, but, as

if unable to wait any longer, they threw the door

open, burst into the room, and, easily scaling the

fortress of piled papers and attacking the general's

[48]

Cfje General at |)ome

chair straight ahead, captured the knees of the mas-
sive soldier, the Sailor from the right, and the
Ringlet from the left.

"Papa!"

"School out, eh?" the general smilingly said,
with a voice deep from his chest, as, with his heavy
hands, he patted the Sailor on his back and the
Ringlet on her head.

"How about the test? Good? "

" Papa, I — I got A in arithmetic."

" Papa, teacher said my needlework was good."

The Ringlet took out her kindergarten work and
placed it on her father's knees.

"Ah! That's good!"

" And then, B in writing and reading, and the rest
all C. I was beaten at last by Mina-kami. I feel
very bad over that."

" Well, keep at it. What story did you read
to-day?"

The Sailor, brightening up, said : " Papa, the
story of Masatsura. I like Masatsura so much.
Which is greater, Masatsura or Napoleon ? "

" Oh, both are great."

"Papa, I like Masatsura, but I like the navy
better. Papa is in the army, and I am going into
the navy."

[49]

JBami-feo

The general laughed. " You will be a sailor under
Takeo-san? "

" Why, he is an ensign. I want to be lieutenant-
general."

"They don't call it so in the navy; it's rear
admiral. But won't you be admiral ? "

" But papa is lieutenant-general. Papa, lieutenant-
general is greater than ensign, isn't it? "

" Ensign or general, he who studies most is the
greatest."

" Papa, papa, say — papa," and the Ringlet,
jumping on her father's knee, exclaimed : " Teacher
told us such a good story — the story of a rabbit
and a tortoise. Shall I tell you about it? Once
upon a time there were a rabbit and a tortoise —
Ah, here comes mamma."

As the clock struck two, a tall lady of about forty
came into the room. Her hair was dressed in
foreign style, her bang being curled and parted on
her high brow. Her large eyes were set a little
obliquely, bespeaking her rather acrimonious temper.
Her somewhat dark face was slightly painted,
and the teeth, seen at times, were polished to the
last degree. She was dressed in showy crape, with
an obi of black satin, and she wore valuable rings.

" You are again hanging on your papa."
[50]

(General at f)ome

" Why, I was just asking about their school work.
Well, now it is time for papa's lesson. You go
out and play. We all will go for a walk after-
ward."

" Oh, how nice ! " said the Ringlet.

" Hurrah ! " shouted the Sailor.

The two children, hand in hand, dancing for
joy, went out of the room, and the cries of " Hur-
rah," " Let me, Ki-chan," were heard far off.

" Say what you will, you are too lenient with
your children."

The general said, smiling : " No, not exactly.
But children thrive better when they are loved."

" But, my dear, you know ' severe father ' and
' kind mother ' are coupled together even in popu-
lar notion. But, since you fondle them so much,
the saying is reversed, and I have always to correct
them. Dear me, I alone am made an object of
dislike."

" Well, you need not reproach me like that. And
pray, be a little milder. Well, professor, have a
seat, if you please."

The general, laughing, took up an old copy of
the Royal Third Reader from the table, and began
to read slowly in his queer English with the Satsuma
accent.

The lady listened attentively, and corrected an
occasional error.

This was the general's daily lesson. Having
raised himself as a soldier at the Restoration of
1868, he at once found himself entered upon such
an important career that no time remained in which
to indulge in the study of foreign languages. It
was only in the last year that he was transferred
to the reserved list. Some of the leisure hours
thus obtained he devoted at once to reading English.
For teacher, Madam Shige was at hand. She was
a daughter of a noted Choshu Samurai, and had been
in London so long that a better English scholar
was seldom to be found in Japan. The lady was
so thoroughly imbued with Western ideas that she
wanted to conduct the management of her house-
hold affairs just as she had seen and learned in that
far-off land. But, unluckily, things generally fell
short of her endeavor, the servants laughed in their
sleeves at her inexperience, and the children naturally
made much of their generous father alone. These
mistakes, and the Oriental high-mindedness of her
husband, who never cared for trifling matters, often
put the poor lady frightfully out of humor.

At last, by severe effort, the general finished
reading one page and was about to translate it,
[52]

>c General at l>omr

when the door opened and there entered a pretty girl
of about fifteen, with her hair tied with a red
ribbon. Seeing her father holding a small book
in his large hand and reading it with the docility
of a pupil, she involuntarily laughed as she an-
nounced :

" Mother, Aunt Kato is in the sitting-room."

"Is she?"

The lady, knitting her brows almost imperceptibly,
waited for the general to speak.

The general, raising himself deliberately and
drawing a chair to his side, said : " Show her in
here."

" Good afternoon," said an attractive-looking
lady of about forty-five, as she entered the room.
She wore blue glasses, presumably on account of
her weak sight. She looked somewhat like Nami-san,
and not without reason, for she was sister of the
first wife of General Kataoka. She was married to
Viscount Kato, member of Upper House, and it
was she who, with her husband, acted as go-between
in the marriage of Nami and Takeo.

Smiling, the general gave her a chair and drew
the little curtain at the window opposite it, saying:
" Please have a seat. I haven't seen you for a long
time. Your husband is pretty busy, I suppose ? "

[531

" Oh, yes. He is just like a. gardener, always
shears in hand. It's a little early for irises, but the
pomegranate-trees, of which he is very proud, are
in full bloom, and the roses are still blooming.
Please come and see them. He especially wishes
me to ask you to come." Turning to Madam
Kataoka. " And bring Ki-chan and Mi-chan with
you."

To be frank, the viscountess did not like Madam
Kato very much. Owing to the difference in edu-
cation and temperament, a mutual understanding
was almost out of the question. Moreover, the
idea that she was sister to the first wife always
came up in the viscountess's mind and caused her
much uneasiness. She herself wanted to monopolize
the general's heart and wield the sceptre as queen
of the household. But here was a sister of the
former wife, who not only brought before the
general the very picture of her now gone, but by
stealthily sympathizing with Nami and nurse Iku,
reminded him of times past, and, by reviving the
memory of the dead one in many ways, tried to
fight for supremacy. This was what she could not
bear. Now that Nami and Iku were gone, the
right of exterritoriality had been removed, to her
great satisfaction, but as often as she saw the face
[54]

(Scnetal at

of Madam Kato, she felt as if the dead one had
risen from the grave to contend with her for her
husband, her authority as mistress, and the system
and management of every household matter that she
had planned so carefully.

Madam Kato took out some confectionery from
her silk bag.

" With my love to Ki-chan and Mi-chan. Is
school not yet out? I don't see them. Oh, I see."
Giving an artificial flower-pin to the girl with the
red ribbon, who had just come in with cups of tea,
" With my love to Koma-san."

" Thank you for all of them. They will be so
pleased."

Thus saying, Madam Kataoka laid the confec-
tionery on the table. At this moment a servant
announced that a man from the Red Cross Society
wanted to see the mistress, and she immediately left
the room. On going out she beckoned to the girl,
and whispered something into her ear. The girl
came back stealthily, and placed herself behind a
curtain within hearing, while the lady went through
the corridor on her way to the parlor.

The red-ribboned Koma was a daughter of the
first wife, but was much loved by the viscountess,
while her sister Nami was not. The viscountess
[55]

took the silent and reserved Nami for an obstinate
and morose girl, and was pleased with the younger
sister, whose forward nature was quite in harmony
with her own. And, in order to give an indirect
snub to Nami, and also to show the world what a
stepmother could do, she favored Koma as her
husband favored Nami. It is usual for a self-willed
man to do as he likes without deference to others,
but, on the other hand, he is apt to be uncritical.
Such a man always loves to be thought well
of, while he never desists from the pursuit of self-
interest. No one is so fond of flattery as he. Madam
Kataoka was a refined and spirited lady who in
argument always got the better of her husband, so
renowned for his military skill, but, unlike him,
who gained friendship wherever he was, she was
always left alone, and in her loneliness she welcomed
those who hung upon her sleeve. Blunt and artless
servants were dismissed one by one, while their places
were filled with courteous, honey-tongued ones.
Koma-san had, of course, no reason to dislike her
sister, but, finding that her stepmother loved to hear
her speak ill of Nami, she contracted the bad habit
of telling tales, and at times caused Iku to make
a wry face. This, however, seemed to be of some
use to the viscountess, who, occasionally, even after

General at |)ome

the marriage of Nami, made her render service in
petty affairs like this.

Standing close by the second window on the
east veranda, Koma could hear the hoarse laugh
of her father alternate with the ringing laugh of
her aunt. But soon the voices grew low, the words
faint, and the more indistinctly the words " mother-
in-law," " Nami-san," and like phrases came through
the window, the more attentively the red-ribboned
girl listened.

" A host of foes one million told

Now come from out the land so vast,
What need Kam'kura men so bold
To fear, not beaten for ages past ? "

The little Sailor who came marching along sing-
ing this song was at once attracted to the Red
Ribbon standing still on the veranda. In spite
of her endeavor to express her meaning by covering
her mouth, shaking her head, or turning her back
on him, he rushed forward, calling, " Koma-chan! "
and asked what she was doing. She still tried to
silence him, but, being annoyed with so many
"Whats?" she cried aloud "Fie!" unwittingly;
upon which she ran away hurriedly, shrugging her
shoulders at her untimely mishap.

[57]

" Ah, you coward ! "

Saying this, the Sailor proceeded to his father's
study, and, on seeing his aunt, made a smiling bow,
and went at once to his father's knees.

" Well, my dear Ki-chan ! You seem to have
grown taller since I saw you last. You go to
school every day? — You did? A in arithmetic?
Good. Come and see aunty, with your papa and
mamma.

"Where is Michi? Look, here's aunty's present.
You like it, don't you? " Giving him the cake, the
general added : " Do you know where mamma
is? Still in the parlor? Tell her aunty must
go."

The general, seeing the child leaving, and looking
at the visitor thoughtfully, said : " Well, then,
be sure and arrange about Iku without trouble,
please. I feared at first that the matter would turn
out in this way. I should not have sent her, but it
was Nami's desire as well as hers. Yes, exactly.
Well, now you understand what I want? "

The conversation was interrupted by the coming
of Madam Kataoka, who, glancing at Madam Kato,
said: "You are leaving us so soon? I'm very
sorry I was called away by the visitor. No, he has
just gone. Why, it was about the Charity Bazar
[58]

General at Ibome

again. Not much to be made out of it, I fear.
Must you go now? Please give my love to Chizu-
ko-san. I miss her very much since Nami went."

"She has not been well, and has neglected her
calls for a long time. Good-by."

" Good-by."

" I will go with you a little way," said the
general. — " Well, just a little. Come on, Ki and
Mi — now for a walk ! "

Madam Kataoka, seating herself in an easy-chair
in the sitting-room and looking over the prospectus
of the Charity Bazar, nodded to Koma.

" Koma-san, what was the talk about? "

" Well, mamma, I could not hear well, but it
was something about Iku."

"Iku?"

" Yes, it was like this. Takeo-san's old mother
has been ill on account of rheumatism, and is very
irritable. One day Iku happened to be talking to
Nami-san in her room. ' Why is the old lady so
peevish ? ' she said. ' I pity you, madam, for that.
But, as she is old, it will not be long before she dies.'
Wasn't Iku foolish to say such a thing, mamma? "

" She is always making mischief, the meddling
old woman ! "

" And just at that moment the old lady happened
[591

to be passing by the room, heard all Iku said, and
was very angry."

"There! That's the penalty of eavesdropping."

" She was so angry that Nami-san was greatly
troubled, and went to see Aunt Kato."

"To see aunt?"

" Nami-san always sees her aunt about every-
thing."

The lady smiled drily.

"And what else?"

" Then father said that he would send Iku away
to take care of the villa."

"Did he?" she remarked, uneasily. "Is that
all?"

" I would have listened to more, but Ki-chan
came just then, and — "

[60]

CHAPTER VI

^ ^ 'AKEO'S mother's name was Kei, and she
I was now fifty-three. With the exception of fre-
quent attacks of rheumatism, she was very healthy.
It was said that she could readily cover on foot
the distance of ten miles each way between her
house and the cemetery where her husband was
buried. She weighed over a hundred and fifty
pounds, and there were few ladies of nobility who
exceeded her in this respect. Her corpulency, how-
ever, began after the death of her husband, Michi-
take, some six years ago, for before that event she
was pale and as lean as a rake. Some observed
jestingly that she must be a sort of rubber ball
which swelled up as soon as the pressure was re-
moved.

Her late husband was a petty Samurai of the
Kagoshima clan, and he was pretty badly off at the
time of his marriage. But he came into prominence
in the Restoration War, and was for a long time
a successful local governor under the Okubo Min-
istry. He had, however, a very wilful nature,
[61]

which cut him off from friendly intercourse with
all of his associates except a few, of whom the
Viscount Kato was one. After Okubo was gone,
he did not enjoy much public confidence. He was
created baron simply because, as they say, he was
lucky enough to have been born in that favored
quarter, Kagoshima. Thus Michitake the opinionist
and Tartar always drank away his irrepressible dis-
content, and when, after draining five bowlfuls of
sake, each holding about a pint, he faced the local
assembly with his shoulders drawn back and his face
red as a demon, there was not a soul in the assembly
who dared oppose him.

Such a miserable household as Kawashima's was
rarely to be met with. The whole house was under
the despotic rule of a tyrant, and the family lived
as if in a thunder-storm under a tall tree unpro-
tected by a lightning-rod. With the exception of
Takeo, who, in his childhood, had made his father's
knees his dancing-place and knew no better play-
mate than he, no one, neither his wife nor the
servants, nor even the pillars of the sitting-room,
was unacquainted with the pain the master's hand
had inflicted upon them. Even Yamaki, now well
known as a " gentleman merchant," was an occa-
sional recipient of this gift; but, of course, he
[62]

never refrained from calling on the Kawashima fam-
ily, thinking that this was rather a cheap toll con-
sidering the gain he became entitled to through his
favor or disfavor — whichever you please.

When it was rumored that his lordship was out
of humor, even a mouse in the kitchen would stop
gnawing, and if his angry voice, like a sudden thun-
der-clap, was heard from the interior of the house,
even a dull servant was wont to drop her knife from
the shock. It is said that the subordinate officers
who wanted to see him had first to find out from
the servants in which quarter the wind lay.

Think what an enormous amount of patience was
required of Madam Kei, his mate for nearly thirty
years! While her husband's parents were living,
she saw nothing very extraordinary in his nature
as compared with theirs, but, once they were gone,
one at the heels of the other, the real character of
her husband was brought boldly into relief, and her
patience was tried to the extreme. At first she
offered some resistance, but she soon learned that
it was all to no purpose. She no longer showed a
bold front, but either wisely submitted like a bent
reed before the wind, or else did what is said to
be the crowning method of safeguard — took to
flight.

[63]

JQami-feo

In the meantime she came to understand some-
what how to turn the tide, and was successful at
least in every third attempt, but the nature of her
husband remained without a shadow of change. The
last three or four years of his life were especially
spent in such a fury of passion, inflamed by alcoholic
draughts, that, fortified as she was by the experience
of over twenty years, she felt deeply the bitterness
of her miserable life. Not unfrequently forgetting
her dear son Takeo and her gray hairs, she would
even think she preferred the peaceful life of a poor
sexton's wife to the enviable honor of being a vis-
countess and wife to a governor. But time went
by swiftly as an arrow, and thirty years had already
passed when she beheld her heartless husband Michi-
take lying stark in his coffin with his lifeless face
turned toward heaven. She drew a long breath —
and yet, poor soul, the tears ran freely down her
cheeks.

She wept, but she was relieved, and with her freer
breath there came to her something of power. While
her husband was alive she was almost of no im-
portance by the side of the corpulent and loud-
voiced man. But now she walked out of her cor-
ner and, lo, instantly she swelled and broadened to
the full size of the house. Those who used to
[64]

(ZDJje

notice her shyness by the side of her husband, re-
marked that the change was simply wonderful.
According, however, to the view of a certain scholar,
man and wife become more and more alike, both
mentally and physically, with increasing years.
True or no, such was really the case with her
whose build, carriage, roughness, and, above all,
quick temper were nothing but a copy of the ways
of her deceased husband.

" To kill at Nagasaki one's enemy at Yedo " —
so runs a common saying stating a peculiar law of
action and reaction in nature. An anti-government
member of Parliament may make a very eloquent
attack in the House against the government. It is
all very fine, but how few realize that one-half of
his fire is called forth to satisfy his vengeance on
the usurer who drove him hard the night before.
Again, a low atmospheric depression in the South
China Sea causes a flood in the central part of Japan,
and land-slides in the depth of Tuscarora cause tidal
waves along the coasts. Nature is only seeking a
balance. And, in securing this balance, a mean
fellow, so says one well versed in human affairs, pro-
ceeds just as a miser duns for a debt, impatient at
the delay of even a single day, while a great man,
trusting his whole account to the management
[65]

JQamt-feo

of Heaven's Bank, simply does his part with heart
and soul. Mark further the way a low-minded per-
son seeks his balance. As if he were mere matter,
he follows the law of motion; that is, to attack
where the resistance is least.

Madam Kawashima, whose patience had been
taxed to the utmost for thirty long years, thought
that she was now to have her day, and no sooner
was the lid of her husband's coffin closed than she
opened once for all the flood-gates which had with-
stood the pressure of her patience. The one whom
she had most dreaded was now gone, and there was
no more fear that his detestable hand would rest
heavily upon her again. She now appeared as if
she wished to show that she had not been silent
because of her own helplessness, and, wishing it clear
that she thought herself his better half, she began
to dun those people to whom money had been loaned
at one time or other, the amount becoming con-
siderable by years of neglect. There was, however,
a great difference in the nature of their irritability:
the deceased baron was a man of heroic spirit, and,
though troublesome, his anger had a dash of some-
thing that was almost pleasing; but the temper of
his wife, who was selfish, suspicious, and narrow-
minded, and totally devoid of manful audacity, was
[66]

simply unbearable, and the servants had by far the
harder time of it.

And this was Nami's mother-in-law.

To every young bride there comes soon after
her marriage a trial due to her still unsettled mental
state of newly imposed wifehood. The marumage,
which only the decorum of married life requires,
may be put aside for any other fashion of dressing
the hair. Nevertheless, it is not unlikely that an
uninformed kuruma-man might, for safety's sake,
address her as " miss," a form of salutation certainly
embarrassing to a woman who has not courage
enough to explain the mistake. At home, however,
she will be worried by the servants with a " ma-
dam," an appellation which is yet too much for her.
But soon she realizes her new situation, and begins
to see in their true light her surroundings, hitherto
only dimly understood through the misty veil of her
bashfulness. It was at this stage of her life that
Nami had now arrived.

Since customs differ greatly with each family,
it was incumbent upon her that she should not
measure her new home by the standard of the old,
and that she must not forget that Nami Kataoka
was gone, and that henceforth she must become a
[67]

new Nami Kawashima — these were the words her
father uttered with heartfelt tenderness when she
was in her wedding-dress and the carriage was wait-
ing for her departure. She remembered the advice
too well, and, on finding herself in her new home,
she saw that the contrast was something amazing.

The property of the house of Kawashima ex-
ceeded perhaps in value that of her paternal home.
The house was counted one of the greatest among
the new nobility, for the wealth amassed during the
governorship of Takeo's father was immense. She
found, however, that, while the Kataoka family was
so popular owing to the fame of her father, and that
there things looked bright as the sunrise, here every-
thing was stagnant as a pool of water. The relatives
were few, the acquaintances were not many, and
even those who used to call while Takeo's father was
alive kept away after his death. Moreover, the
widow was not sociable in any sense, while the
master who was to establish the prestige of the house
was yet young and low in official rank, and stayed
most of his time away from home. Again Kami's
stepmother loved anything gay and novel, and of
course she was particularly at home in lecturing on
housekeeping. She practised economy in a strange
way, evoking at times the criticism of the servants
[68]

whose common sense was fully developed in matters
of every-day usage. But say what you will, as is
usual with the intercourse among military men,
everything there was on the whole showy and quite
extravagant. But what a difference here at her
new abode! The old usages and rather coarse
country customs were adhered to closely, as if they
were the only usages in the world. The widow's
methods of housekeeping remained just as they were
thirty years ago, when she was the wife of a poor
Samurai. And the habit of managing everything
by herself, done formerly out of necessity, had
grown into a second nature. Making a certain
Tazaki — a plain, honest fellow who had been no
more than a mere domestic — her steward, she her-
self calculated the monthly expenses in fire- wood,
charcoal, and so forth, item by item. Such being
the case, when Iku came with Nami as her maid,
the widow was heard to say, in surprise : " What
airs these illustrious families put on ! " Indeed, the
expulsion of Iku might not be due wholly to the
widow's wrath at her slanderous remark.

Bright as she was, the bride was still young, and
there is little wonder that she lacked the tact to face
so suddenly the widely different customs of her new
home. But Nami understood well the full import

[69]

of her father's counsel, and made up her mind to
resign herself to the new situation. An opportunity
to put her determination to the test was near at
hand.

Not long after his return from Ikao, Takeo was
ordered on a cruise. Married to a sailor, Nami
was quite prepared for an occasional absence, but
a parting in so short a time after their union almost
broke her heart, and she was left for a while quite
stupefied.

Nami's father met Takeo before the engagement,
and liked him very much. She took her father at
his word and married. And the result proved that
she was right. She found Takeo a manful and
high-minded man, frank to the core and loving
in heart, a man in whom there was not a particle
of meanness, a very miniature of her dear father.
Yes, even his manner of walking, with bold step
and rocking gait, and his laughter, like that of a
child, were but a copy of her father. How happy,
she thought, to be with such a good husband. And
so she loved him with her whole heart. Takeo,
on his part, felt unbounded love toward such a
loving creature, and, being an only child, he felt
as if he were given a sister as well as a wife, and
caressed her as his own dear " Nami-san." Three
[70]

months had not elapsed since their marriage, but
they loved each other as if they had been acquainted
from the previous world, and the sadness of their
parting, though temporary, was to both almost un-
bearable.

But Nami was not allowed to weep long over
her sorrow. Soon after Takeo's departure, her
mother-in-law had a severe attack of rheumatism,
and her characteristic irascibility was much increased.
And after Iku was gone, poor Nami had specially
a hard time of it.

A new cadet is teased for a time by the older
ones, but, after a year or so, he himself finds no
greater pleasure than to tease freshmen coming after
him. A mother-in-law who knows only too well the
painful experience she had when she first joined the
family, should not, on principle, treat a bride with
injustice. But such is the frailty of human nature
that, when the flower of her youth has faded away
and she finds herself transplanted to the position of
mother-in-law, her tyrannical nature gets the upper
hand and she becomes the very mother-in-law she
so much detested.

"Look here, you have made a mistake in the width
of the gore. Make it four inches and turn it in
like this. Tchut! dear me!" she will say to a

bride, " that is not the way. Here, let me have it.
Bless my heart, you must have been sleeping all
these twenty years. And you mean to be a wife!
Eh?" If she can find in this situation something
that brings before her the horror of a bygone sar-
castic voice and look, once real to her even as it is
real now to the one before her, she may feel sorry
for it and even try secretly to make amends, —
such a woman may still be said to be heaven-born.
But not a few are ruled by the principle of "an
eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth," and try
to avenge on the bride of Nagasaki the wrong done
to them by the mother-in-law of Yedo. And thus
they unconsciously seek retribution during their own
life. The mother-in-law of Nami was this sort of
person.

To work under the eyes of the Europeanized
stepmother, and again to suffer at the hands of the
old-fashioned mother-in-law — such was the lot of
poor Nami. Many a time Nami offered her service
out of pure and sincere sympathy for the old widow
in her sick-bed, who wanted a maid too often. Being
unfamiliar with the task, however, her tender efforts
would be scarcely satisfactory to the patient. The
widow, then, thanking Nami at one moment, would
purposely scold the maid at the next with such a
[72]

loud and almost savage voice as to terrify Nami,
accustomed as she had been for ten years to the
sarcastic eloquence of her stepmother. This, how-
ever, was but for the first few weeks; after that,
the attack was directed straight at Nami. When
Iku, the only sympathetic soul in the house, had gone,
she felt at times as if she had returned to the sunless
corner of her past days. But when she went to her
room and saw on the table in a silver frame the
silent picture of the robust officer, all other feelings
would give way to the one which gained in tender-
ness as she took it up in her hand. She would
feast her eyes on it, kiss it, fondle it, and whisper
to it, as if she could be heard : " Come back soon,
dearest! " For his dearest sake she could willingly
quaff the bitterest cup, and, denying herself, minister
unto her mother-in-law.

[73J

CHAPTER VII

" HONGKONG, July — ,

NAMI: — I write this to you in
a heat of ninety-nine degrees, with myself
in a reeking perspiration. You read my letter posted
at Saseho, I believe. Since weighing anchor there,
the weather was fine day after day, and so hot that
even we, the sailors of the Invincible Islands, had
to give in a little bit. About a dozen of our officers
and men suffered from sunstroke, but I am all right ;
have never once been an inmate of the sick-ward.
By being burnt by the broiling sun near the equator,
my dark complexion has got such a finish as to
surprise even me. On landing to-day I went to a
barber-shop and looked carelessly into a glass, when,
lo, there stood a new man ! One of my merry
comrades suggested to me to send you my picture
in my present condition, but of course I don't want
to do that. It being fine all the way (except once
when we were overtaken by a monsoon), we all
arrived safely here yesterday morning amidst ringing
cheers.

[74]

" At Saseho I got your loving letter, which I read
and re-read. I was sorry to learn that my mother
has been attacked by her old malady. But I feel
very much at ease this year, since you are with her.
I wish you would look after her in my place. When
sick, she is specially hard to please, and I very much
sympathize with you in your difficult task.

" I trust the folks at Akasaka are all well. How
about Uncle Kato? Still busy with shears in hand?
Nurse Iku has gone, I understand. I don't know
how it was, but I feel very sorry it happened so.
Give her my love when you write, and tell her that
I shall bring her many souvenirs. I am very fond
of her. She is very jolly, and I suppose you miss
her, too. Do Aunt Kato and Chizu-ko-san call on
you occasionally?

" Chijiwa conies often, I hear. We have few
relatives, of whom Chijiwa is one, and I know
mother thinks much of him. To be cordial to him
is to please mother. He is a bright and smart fellow,
and I hope he may be of help to you in case of
need. . . .

" Yours most affectionately,

" TAKEO.

" P. S. Please read the enclosed letter to mother.

" P. S. Will stay here for a few days. After
[75]

buying provisions, etc., will sail for Sidney, via
Manila, and then to San Francisco by way of New
Caledonia, Fiji, and then home by way of Hawaii.
Expect to be back this fall.

" P. S. Send letters, care of Japanese Consul,
San Francisco, U. S. A."

" SIDNEY, August — , .

" DEAREST NAMI : — ... Last May I was at
Ikao with Nami-san gathering ferns; now I am at
Sidney, far down in the Southern Hemisphere. As
I look up at the Southern Cross at night and dwell
upon the days gone by, I cannot help thinking how
changeable the world we live in is. When I was
cruising last year I was occasionally seasick, but this
time I am surprised to find myself so well. A
strange and new feeling is my constant companion
on this voyage. When I am alone on the bridge
on duty, and look up at the dark southern skies
studded with myriads of diamonds, this feeling is
especially strong, and I seem to see before my eyes
your lovely face. Don't laugh at my folly. Among
my comrades I feign to be careless and sing with
them, ' What care we for tears at home, for feats
so bold,' but (please don't laugh) a picture of
Nami-san is always in my inner pocket. Even while
[76]

I am writing I see clearly the figure of one who
will read this in the small room at home, over-
shadowed by the palm-trees. . . .

" At Sidney Bay there are many families yachting
for pleasure. A thought comes over me that when
we succeed in life and Nami-san and I are gray-
headed, we shall own a large yacht of at least
five thousand tons displacement. I shall be captain,
and our sons and grandsons will be the sailors, and
we shall sail the four seas. We shall come to
Sidney, and I shall tell you, then a white-headed
Nami, the dreams a young naval officer had in the
years gone by. ...

" Yours most affectionately,

" TAKEO."

" TOKYO, , .

" MY DEAREST TAKEO : — I read over and over
with such interest your loving letter dated Hong-
kong, July 1 5th. I am so glad that you are so well
in spite of the hot weather. Mother is getting well,
and I hope you will feel at ease about her. I spend
my lonely days in one way or another. I try to
please mother, especially since you are away, but
I am so dull that I am sorry to say my effort falls
[77]

JQamt feo

: •

far short of my wishes. I am looking impatiently
to the day when I shall see you safe home again.

" The folks at Akasaka are all well. They have
gone to the villa at Zushi. The Katos went to
Okitsu, and we are left very lonely at Tokyo. Iku
is also at Zushi, and is doing well. I wrote her
about your wishes, and she thanked me in tears
for your kindness.

" I have come to feel that I have left several
important things unlearned. The management of
domestic affairs, which my father counselled me to
take special interest in, I neglected at the time, and
am now much worried about my inefficiency. I
wanted to follow your advice to study English ; but
I am afraid that mother will not think well of me
if I sit at the desk too much. So at present I am
devoting myself altogether to housekeeping. I hope
you will not think I am neglecting my studies with-
out cause. I am ashamed of myself, but sometimes
I feel so sad and lonely and want to see you so
much that if I had the wings of a dove I would
immediately fly to you. My only consolation is
your picture and that of your ship. I did not pay
much attention to universal geography while at
school, but now I take out an almost forgotten
[78]

map and take a great deal of pleasure in tracing the
progress of your ship. Sometimes I wish I had been
born a man and could be a sailor, for then I could
be with you on all your cruises. Do pity my foolish-
ness, dearest, for my thoughts are all for you.
I have not noticed heretofore the weather indica-
tions in the paper, but now I look for them every
day, and, though I know that you are sailing far be-
yond the places they cover, I feel very anxious for
you when there is warning of high winds. I hope
you will take good care of yourself. . . .
" Your loving wife,

" NAMI."

" TOKYO, October — , .

" MY DEAREST TAKEO : — Dreaming of you
every night, I long to see you very much. Last
night I thought I went with you to Ikao by ship
to gather ferns, when somebody came in between us,
and, while you were fading away into the distance,
I fell overboard. I cried out and mother woke
me up. I was greatly relieved to find it was only
a dream. But still there is something that seems
to trouble me. So I am very anxious for your
speedy return. Wishing to talk over everything per-
sonally, I watch every day the eastern sky in your

[79]

JBamt-ko

direction. This letter may cross you on the way,
but I am sending it to you at Honolulu. . . .
" Your loving wife,

" KAMI."

[80]

CHAPTER I

JLife

^^" HE widow Kawashima, who was warming
_M herself at the fireplace and looking over her
shoulder at the clock which had just struck eight,
muttered: " Eight! They ought to be back by this
time." She then reached slowly for a tobacco-box
with her fat hand, and, after puffing furiously,
stopped and listened. Though near the suburbs, the
street was noisy with kuruma going to and fro,
as is always the case for the first few evenings after
New Year's Day. The widow could hear, from a
neighboring house, the voices of the young people
at their games, while occasional peals of laughter
poured forth into the night. She grumbled im-
patiently: " What is there funny about it? Tut! "
Then, thinking of Takeo, she exclaimed : " It is
always like this when they go to Akasaka — every
one forgets his business, Take, Nami, and every-
body. Young people nowadays can't be depended
on." Thus muttering and trying to move a little,
she touched a rheumatic spot. " Ouch! " she ejac-
ulated, and, making a wry face, she rapped the

[83]

tobacco-tray furiously in a fit of temper, and called
out to the maid, sharply: " Matsu, Matsu, Matsu."

Just at this moment two kuruma pulled up at the
gate, and a servant announced the arrival of the
master.

The maid came bustling in, clad in holiday
attire, and asked politely the widow's pleasure, but
was only scolded for her tardiness in answering the
call. Upon this she withdrew in confusion.

Immediately a ringing voice was heard.

" Good evening, mother."

Following just behind Takeo, who was still tak-
ing off his gloves, and handing her coat and that
of her husband to the maid, Nami entered quietly
and said, meekly:

" Good evening, mother. I'm sorry to be so
late."

" Oh, so you have come back ? You stayed quite
long."

" Yes," answered Takeo. " We went first to
Kato's, and then they wanted to go with us to
Akasaka. So uncle, aunt, Chizu-ko-san, Nami, and
I — just five in all — went together. They were
very glad to see us at Akasaka, and, as there were
other guests there, we enjoyed ourselves so much
that we stayed longer than we expected." Feeling
[84]

$)Dme Life

that his cheeks were red as a lobster and drinking
a cup of tea served by the maid, he said to him-
self : " I'm a little tipsy, I'm afraid."

" Well," said the widow, " is everybody well at
Akasaka, Nami ? "

" Yes, they are all well. They wanted to be
remembered to you, and told me to tell you they
are sorry they have not had a chance to call. They
also wished me to thank you very much for the
fine present."

" Talking of the present, Nami-san, where is —
ah, here it is ! "

Takeo took a tray from Nami's hands and placed
it before his mother. A pair of pheasants, some
quail and snipes, were piled on the tray.

"Oh, game-birds? And so many — "

" Mother, the general had such good sport the
last time that he only returned on the evening of the
3 1 st. They were just going to send them to us
to-day. To-morrow they expect a boar."

"A boar? Well, is it possible? Your father
is only three years younger than I am, isn't he,
Nami? He was a spirited man from his youth,
and still seems to be so."

" I tell you, mother, he is so robust that he
has passed three nights on the hills without the
[85]

least ill result to his health. He takes pride in
thinking that he can still keep up with the young
people."

" I should think he would. Anybody crippled as
I am by rheumatism is not much use. There is
no greater foe to man than sickness. But it is
about nine o'clock. You had better change your
clothes and go to rest. Oh, by the way, Take,
Yasuhiko was here to-day."

Takeo, who was about to rise, looked rather
uneasy at this, and Nami also pricked up her ears.

"Chijiwa?"

" I think he wanted to see you."

Takeo replied, after a pause : " Did he ? I also
want to see him. Mother, did he come for money? "

" Why ? No, by no means. Why do you think
so?"

" I happened to hear something about him. Well,
I will see him before long."

" And then, Yamaki was here, too."

"Oh, that foolish Yamaki?"

" He invited you to dinner on the loth."

"H'm, such a bore!"

" You had better accept his invitation. He still
remembers your father's favors."

"But — "

[86]

life

" You had really better accept the invitation.
Well, I'll go to bed. Good night."

" Good night," said Takeo, and Nami repeated
after him : " Good night, mother."

The young couple went to their room. Nami
helped her husband remove his coat and put on a
quilted silk dress, over which Takeo quickly tied
a white crape sash. He sat in an armchair. Nami,
after brushing the coat and hanging it in the ad-
joining room, ordered the maid to make tea and
came to her husband's side.

" You must be tired, dear."

Takeo, who was puffing blue smoke and looking
over the cards, letters and New Year's congratula-
tions received during the day, raised his head.

" You must be tired, Nami-san. Oh, beautiful
— splendid ! "

"What?"

" I say, what a beautiful-looking bride you are! "

" You make me blush."

And she blushed and turned her eyes away from
the glare of the lamplight, showing her pale cheek
now bright with a rosy glow and her round mage
glossy as a mirror. She had on a black silk kimono
with a pattern of waves and water-fowls around the
skirt, with a broad belt of creamy satin and a
[87]

jewelled pin shaped like a forget-me-not at her
breast, a gift Takeo had brought her from America.
As she stood in the light with a bashful smile,
Takeo thought his wife very beautiful.

" I really feel as if you were a newly made
bride in that dress."

" If you say such things I shall go away."

Takeo laughed. " I sha'n't say any more. But
why will you go away? "

And then Nami laughed. " I shall go to change
my clothes."

Takeo went out on a cruise early in the summer,
and would have been back in the fall but for the
fact that certain parts of the ship's machinery had
to be repaired at San Francisco, where they were
detained for a considerable time. It was, there-
fore, late in the year before he returned home.
So it was not until to-day, the third day of the
first month, that he was able to make his first
ceremonial and private calls with Nami on the
Kato and Kataoka families.

Takeo's mother was an old-fashioned lady, and

was rather averse to anything foreign, but she

could not be too strict to suit the taste of the

young master. His spacious sitting-room was fur-

[88]

home Life

nished in a mingled native and foreign style. A
green carpet was spread on the soft floor mats, on
which stood a table and chairs. In the alcove-
wall was hung a landscape painting, and in front
of and above it a portrait of his father Michitake.
A covered bookcase and shelves stood in one corner
of the room, while in the middle of the alcove was
placed a sword of Kanemitsu make, much loved
by his father. A naval cap and a marine glass were
laid on some shelves, and a dagger hung on an
alcove pillar. Among the pictures upon the wall
was one representing the man-of-war he had sailed
on, and another of a group of cadets, taken probably
while he was at Yedajima. There were also some
pictures on the table: one represented a group
of three, Takeo's parents and himself when he was
about five years old, leaning on his father's knee;
another, Lieutenant-General Kataoka, his father-in-
law, in uniform. Young and careless as the master
was, everything in the room was in good order,
and not a particle of dust was to be found. More-
over, in an old bronze vase on the table a few
sprays of early plum-blossoms were artistically ar-
ranged. All this betrayed a heart warm and deli-
cate and hands skilful and artistic which were
constantly at work in the room. Their owner could
[89]

be seen smiling from a. heart-shaped silver frame by
the vase, and seemed to be bathing in the sweet
fragrance of the plum-blossoms. The lamp shed its
bright light into every corner of the room, and the
comfortable charcoal fire in a large fire-box rose
in a purple flame against the green of the carpet.

Varied as are the things most pleasant to us,
chief among them is the safe return from a long
journey, when we change our travelling-suit to a
comfortable kimono and sit by a fireside, listening
to the mournful sound of the night wind outside,
relieved by the accustomed ticking of the clock.
The pleasure increases when we have with us our
mother in good health and a wife young and lovely.

Takeo, who was now smoking and comfortably
reclining in an easy-chair, was indeed enjoying just
this sort of pleasure.

The only thing that troubled him was the thought
of Chijiwa, whom his mother had mentioned a little
while ago, and whose name he had just come across
among the visiting-cards. Something disreputable
about him had been disclosed to Takeo that very
day. Some time last month, a post-card came for
Chijiwa in care of the Military Headquarters while
he was away. One of his fellow officers picked it
up by mistake, glanced over it, and found it was
[90]

|)0me life

a note from a famous usurer, the amount of his
debts being written in red ink. More than that, it
was certain that military secrets found their outlet
at times through some unexpected channel, and
benefited some speculating merchants. And still
more: some one even noticed Chijiwa in the stock
market, — an improper place for officers to fre-
quent. Taking all these things into consideration,
Chijiwa was decidedly under suspicion. All this
was told Takeo by his father-in-law, who was an
intimate friend of the chief of the Headquarters
staff. Takeo should be careful of Chijiwa, and
advise him to turn over a new leaf.

"Damnable fellow!"

Speaking to himself, Takeo again looked at Chi-
jiwa's card. But he could not trouble himself
long with such disagreeable thoughts. He made
up his mind to see him personally, and act accord-
ingly. His mind again turned to his present happy
situation, when Nami came in with some black
tea she had made after changing her dress.

"Black tea? Thank you."

He left the chair to sit by the fire.

" How about mother? "

" She has just gone to bed."

Giving him a cup of hot tea and looking at his

JSamt-fco

red face, Nami said : " Have you a headache, my
dear? You have taken more sake than was good
for you. Mother urged you too much."

" Oh, no. We had such a good time, didn't
we? I was so much interested in father's con-
versation that I scarcely knew how much I was
drinking," and he laughed. " You have indeed a
good father, haven't you, Nami-san ? "

Nami smiled, and, glancing at him, said:

" And more than that, a good — "

" What? What did you say? "

With an astonished look, Takeo rolled his eyes
purposely.

" I don't know," said she, flushing and looking
down, as she played with her ring.

" Bless my heart ! When did you learn to say
such nice things? The breastpin was not worth it."

Rubbing her rosy cheeks with her hands which
had been warmed at the fire, and heaving a little
sigh, Nami reflected : " Indeed, for a long time
mother must have been very lonely. When I think
that you must go on duty again so soon it makes
me feel that time passes all too fast."

" But if I stay always at home, you are sure
to say, on every third day, ' My dear, you had
better go out for a walk, hadn't you ? ' '
[92]

f)oinr life

"How dare you say that? More tea?"

Taking a sip and knocking off the ashes from
his cigar into the fire-box, he looked contentedly
around the room.

" After having been rocked in a hammock for
more than half a year, I find this kind of room too
spacious for me ; everything is as luxurious as para-
dise. I seem to be enjoying a second honeymoon.
Doesn't it seem so to you, Nami-san?"

Indeed, they had parted soon after their mar-
riage, and now met after the lapse of half a year
to live over the happiest time in their memory.

Words were now lost between them, and they
only smiled and looked at each other in dreamy
ecstasy. The delicate fragrance of the plum-blos-
soms filled the room as the happy couple sat to-
gether before the fire.

Nami raised her head as if awakened by a new
thought.

"Shall you go, then, — to Yamaki's?"

" To Yamaki's? Mother wants me to, so I sup-
pose I must go."

" I wish to go, too."

" Yes, certainly. Let's go together."

" No, I sha'n't go."

"Why not?"

[93]

" Because I am a little afraid."

" Afraid ? What do you fear ? "

"I am hated, you know."

" Hated? By whom, Nami-san? "

" There is some one who hates me. Shall I tell
you? It is O-Toyo-san!"

" Oh, nonsense! But she's a silly girl, isn't she?
I wonder if any one will ever ask for her hand ? "

" Mother says that Chijiwa is on familiar terms
with Yamaki. He would do well to marry her."

"Chijiwa? Chijiwa? Damnable fellow! I
knew he was a smart man, but I did not think
of his ever being under suspicion. I am almost
ashamed of the officers of the present day — though
I am one of them. They do not retain even a
shadow of the old Samurai spirit, and they are
all trying to get rich. Of course I don't mean
that officers should be poor. No, it is all right
for them to be thrifty and to provide for their
families in time of need. But what I mean is this:
that one whose sole duty is to guard one's country
should not indulge in money-making, especially by
such disgraceful means as to loan money at a high
rate of interest, to appropriate part of a poor sol-
dier's provisions, or to arrange with supply-mer-
chants for unlawful commissions. And then what
[94]

|)0me life

annoys me most is the gambling. I know some of
my fellow officers are indulging in it, and I feel
very sensitive about it. Every one nowadays seems
to do nothing but flatter his superiors and rob his
inferiors of their money."

The ensign, as yet inexperienced in worldly
ways, attacked furiously the vices of some of the
officers as if he were speaking face to face with
them, Nami taking in with delicious delight every
word that fell from his lips. She felt proud of
her brave husband, and wanted to see him raised
to the position of Minister of the Navy, or, at least,
to that of Head of the Ordnance Bureau, so that
he might make a sweeping reform in the navy.

" I think what you say is very true. I don't
know much about it, but when father was a Min-
ister of State, many brought presents to him and
made all sorts of requests. Father, of course, hated
their ways, and told them that things which were
to be done would be done without their special
request, and things which could not be done would
not be done, however much they tried to influence
him. But still they sent him many presents under
some pretext or other. And father would say,
laughingly, that it was no wonder everybody de-
sired to be an official."

[95]

" Exactly. The navy and the army are just
alike in that respect. Ah, money is everything."
Looking at the clock, which was just striking, he
said: "Why, it's ten o'clock!"

" Indeed, time flies so fast! " said Nami.

[96]

CHAPTER II

gamafei entertain^

TTTYOZO YAMAKI'S estate at Shiba was not
J_J_very large, but it bordered a part of Sakura-
gawa Street and some portion of Nishinokubo hill.
The garden contained a pond irregular in shape,
with plenty of natural rocks to give it a wild air.
Paths led here and there up the hill, while bridges
were built across the narrow portions of the pond.
Maples, pines, cherry-trees, and bamboo-bushes arti-
ficially dotted the landscape, while in strong con-
trast a massive stone lamp-post and a quaint Inari
shrine stood among them. Far back from the street
a summer-house was concealed and reserved for the
sudden discovery of the surprised visitor. It was
astonishing that such a garden should be found
within the gates of a comparatively unostentatious
estate, but this was Yamaki's castle in the air; not
in the unrealized sense, but in the substantial sense
of something built by thousands of dollars unlaw-
fully amassed.

It was already past four in the afternoon. The
evening cawing of crows was heard far and near,

[97]

when a man in native full dress was seen leaving
the noise of the house and climbing the garden hill,
faintly illuminated by the setting sun.

It was Takeo. Being unable to withstand his
mother's wish, he came to Yamaki's feast, but he
found no pleasure in meeting and in drinking taste-
less sake with guests whom he did not know. Sev-
eral kinds of entertainment were provided, the last
being the questionable dancing of professional girls,
followed by a general orgy of the whole company.
Being disgusted with such vulgarity, he had wanted
to leave the place long before, and would have
done so but for the repeated request of Yamaki
to stay to the last, and the non-appearance of
Chijiwa, whom he felt that he must see. So he
slipped away for a moment, and strolled by him-
self, in order that his flushed face might be fanned
by the cool evening breeze.

A few days after Takeo's father-in-law had told
him about Chijiwa's conduct, a stranger with an
alligator-leather satchel called unexpectedly, and,
showing Takeo a note of which he knew nothing,
asked for the payment of three thousand yen. The
note was signed by Yasuhiko Chijiwa in his own
handwriting, and the endorser appeared to be none
other than Takeo Kawashima, under whose name
[98]

|3amafet Cntrrtatno

appeared his legal seal. The stranger said that,
though the note had long since expired, the borrower
had not even tried to take it up, and, more than
that, had suddenly moved away to some other place.
He was obliged to call upon the security, being
unable to see Chijiwa even at his office. The note
seemed to be legally correct, and the letters shown
concerning it were undoubtedly written by Chijiwa.
Astonished at this unexpected affair, Takeo pro-
ceeded at once to look into the matter, but found
that his mother and the steward Tazaki knew
nothing of it, nor had they ever allowed Chijiwa
the use of Takeo's legal seal. Considering, how-
ever, the matter in connection with the recent
rumor about Chijiwa, Takeo was not slow to
guess at the probable facts in the case. He was try-
ing to see him on the very day when Chijiwa wrote
to Takeo, desiring to meet him at Yamaki's on
the following day.

As soon as they met, Takeo intended to ask
Chijiwa about the matter, tell him briefly and to
the point what he thought of him, and be gone.
But Chijiwa was very late in arriving. With his
anger smouldering, Takeo went up the hill-path,
by the bushes of slender bamboo, and, finding the
open summer-house in the shade of the ivies, he
[99]

had rested awhile in it before he heard the light
sound of wooden clogs on an adjoining path, and
Toyo suddenly confronted him. With her hair
dressed in a high shimada and clothed in triple
robes of lilac crape, she stood there unconscious
of any incongruity between the gaudy attire and
her mean bearing. Making her crescent-shaped eyes
still narrower, she exclaimed:

" So you are here ! "

Dauntless as he was in the face of a shrieking
shell from a 3O-centimetre gun, he shrank from the
attack of this unexpected enemy, and, trying to
retire, turned about instantly on his heel. Being
alarmed, she pursued him, exclaiming: " Takeo-
san!"

"What is it?"

" Father wants me to show you around the
garden."

"You to show me? I don't want any one to
show me around the garden."

"But — "

" Leave me alone. It pleases me better."

A cold refusal such as this might well seem
to discourage the boldest seducer, but she would
not let him go.

[100]

JJaraafci (Entertain*

" I don't see why you want to run away from
me."

Takeo was brought to a standstill.

More than ten years ago, when Takeo's father
was in charge of a certain Prefecture, and Toyo's
father was an official under him, Takeo used often
to meet Toyo. Being then a mere boy, he de-
lighted in teasing the little girl, and, although at
times he caused her to cry, he was still fond of
his playfellow. Now, after the lapse of so many
years, during which things had changed, children
had grown to men, and Takeo had taken to himself
a young wife, Toyo cherished as ever her hopeless
love for the mischievous boy, although he had be-
come the young man who bore the title of Baron
Kawashima. Rough as he was, the naval officer
knew something of her mind, and was on his guard
against her, even on his rare visits to Yamaki. To-
day, however, he was taken by surprise, and easily
fell a prey to her stratagem.

"Run away? I have no need to run away. I
go where I choose."

" You speak too bluntly."

Feeling ridiculous, foolish, troubled, and offended
in turn, Takeo wanted to go, and tried to turn
away, but to no purpose. In the secluded corner
[101]

j&amt feo

of the garden he was almost at the mercy of his
persistent pursuer. At last a thought flashed
through his mind.

"Has Chijiwa come yet? O-Toyo-san, please go
and see for me."

" Chijiwa-san will not be here before evening."

" Does he come here often ? "

" Yes ; he was here yesterday and talked with
father till late."

" Did he ? Well, but he may be here now. Just
go and see, please."

" No, I won't."

"But why?"

" You are sure to run away. Though you don't
like me and think Nami-ko-san beautiful, it is
very rude of you to send me away like that."

As Takeo wished to avoid any argument with
Toyo, he had no other resource but to walk away
from her. At that moment a voice was heard
calling for Toyo. A maid appeared and stopped her.
Availing himself of the opportunity, Takeo turned
around the bamboo-bushes and walked hurriedly
some distance. Breathing freely at last, and mut-
tering a complaint, he went back to the house —
within whose walls he need not fear a second at-
tack.

[102]

Pamafct Cntcrtains

The sun had gone down; the guests had dis-
persed; and the noise of the day was now trans-
ferred to the kitchen. Having taken off the cum-
bersome parts of his dress, Yamaki, the master of
the house, came almost staggering into a small room
in the back of the house, with a tobacco-tray in his
hand. He sat down as if crushed, his red, steam-
ing forehead glistening in the bright light of a
lamp.

" I have kept you waiting, gentlemen. I am
so glad that we had a lively party." He laughed.
" Well, Baron, you do not drink as if you were
a sailor. Your father could quaff bottle after bottle.
Though old, I am Hyozo Yamaki. It is an easy
matter to swallow half a gallon or so."

Chijiwa cast his jet-black eyes on Yamaki.

" You are in high spirits, Yamaki-san. Making
lots of money, I suppose? "

" No doubt about it. Why, speaking of that — "
He chopped his sentences between puffs, and at last
succeeded in lighting his pipe after many fruitless
attempts. After puffing once, " That — you know
what I mean — is now in the market. I secretly
had their standing reported to me. They seem to
be in a bad fix, and I think we can make a trade
at a comparatively low figure. The business is very

[I03]

promising, and, now that foreigners are allowed to
reside in the interior, it will be more so. What do
you say to investing twenty or thirty thousand yen
in the name of Tazaki-kun, Baron? I am sure it
will make you richer."

The tongue of the drunkard ran on wheels.
Chijiwa, looking askance at Takeo, who was sitting
silent and stiff, continued:

"That — of Aomono Street, isn't it? Didn't
they once have a very good business? "

" Yes, but they spoiled it by poor management.
If rightly handled, it will turn out to be a regular
gold mine."

" What a good chance ! Sorry it is not within
the power of a moneyless fellow such as I. But,
Takeo-kun, you will do well to try it."

Takeo had not spoken a word till now. A dark
shadow of displeasure had settled between his brows
and was now knitting them closer; casting a
fierce look at both of them, he began:

" I thank you for your kindness, but I don't
see any use of money-making for a man in my
profession, who knows not when he will be a prey
to the fishes or a target for an exploding shell. I
beg your pardon, but I would rather contribute
thirty thousand yen, if I could spare them, to the
[104]

(Entertains

Seamen's Educational Fund, than to invest them
in the business you are talking of."

Chijiwa quickly surveyed Takeo's face upon his
downright refusal, and winked at Yamaki.

" Yamaki-san," he said, " I may be selfish, but
I want you to put off this matter till after my affair
is settled. Baron Kawashima has been kind enough
to comply with my request, and so I want you to
do as I desired. You have your seal with you?"

He took out something like a promissory note and
placed it before Yamaki.

No wonder that Chijiwa was under a cloud.
Taking advantage of his position during the last
year, he not only had been Yamaki's adviser and
spy and shared in his profit, but had boldly made
use of government funds and tried his luck on the
stock exchange, which attempt had ended in a loss
of over five thousand yen. Forcing Yamaki and
shelling out all he himself had, Chijiwa managed
to get together about two thousand yen, but still
there was a deficit of three thousand to be made up.
His only relative, Kawashima, was rich, and the
widow was very fond of him. Chijiwa knew the
nature of his tight-fisted aunt too well to ask frankly
a loan, and yet, needing the funds for the time
being, he committed a crime by forging Takeo's

Barai/feo

seal, and borrowed the sum at a high rate of interest.
The note soon expired, and he was annoyed to
find the money-lender was so urgent as to send an
open notice even to his government office. There
being no help, he tried to induce Takeo, who
had just come home, to loan him three thousand
yen to cover the other three thousand. Thus he
was trying to redeem Takeo's name with Takeo's
money! He had called on Takeo the other day, but
had not been able to see him. Then an official trip
took him away from town for a few days, and
kept him totally ignorant of the fact that the usurer
had already been to Kawashima's.

Yamaki nodded ; ringing a bell for a red ink-pad
and running his eyes over the note, he took out his
seal and stamped it under his name as security.

Chijiwa took it up and placed it before Takeo,
as he said : " Now the note is ready. When can
I get the money? "

" I have it with me."

"With you? You are joking."

" Yes, I have. Here — three thousand yen. All
right, isn't it?"

He took from his pocket something wrapped in
paper and tossed it to Chijiwa.

Chijiwa, who had picked it up wonderingly and
[106]

£)ainnfei Cntcrtaino

opened it, turned suddenly red in the face, and
the next moment turned black with rage and ground
his teeth furiously. What he saw before his eyes
was the note which he believed was still in the
hands of the usurer — the note which Takeo, on
his part, after due inquiry into the matter, had paid
silently for the shameless debtor.

" Why, this — "

" You pretend not to recognize it? Confess
your guilt like a man ! "

Thoroughly circumvented by Takeo, at whom he
had been laughing till this very moment as a mere
boy, Chijiwa bit his lip with a vengeance, his whole
soul being aflame with rage.

Yamaki sat as if petrified, holding his long pipe
by the wrong end and looking mechanically at the
faces of his companions.

" Chijiwa," said Takeo, " I won't say any more
about this. We are cousins, and I will never sue
for the forgery of my seal. I paid the man three
thousand yen, and so his dunning notices will not
reach your office again. You may be at ease upon
that point."

Stared out of countenance, Chijiwa tried hard
to appear calm. He would gladly have pounced
upon Takeo but for his quickness to see, even in

JQami-feo

his fury, that it was too late to justify himself.
So he changed his attitude at once.

" Well, my dear cousin, I feel ashamed of myself
to be thus spoken to. But I was forced to — "

" Forced to ? Forced to borrow money by violat-
ing the civil and moral law?"

" Just a moment, please. It was like this. I
was hard pressed for money and had nowhere to go
for it. Had you been at home, I should of course
have spoken to you about it, but how could I ask
aunt for such a thing? Then it was so urgent that,
counting on something I had expected last month,
I — I knew it was very, very wrong, but I in-
tended to confess frankly when all was settled — "

" Nonsense. How could one who intended to
confess frankly dare to borrow another three thou-
sand yen without a word ? "

Yamaki, alarmed at the fierceness of Takeo, who
seemed tempted to attack Chijiwa, said: "Hold
on, Baron. Don't get excited. I know nothing
about the matter, but I think you will do well to
be lenient, Baron, as he is your cousin. Two or three
thousand yen is not a very large sum. Chijiwa-kun
is wrong. There is no doubt about that. But, if
this be made public, Chijiwa-kun can no longer
hold his position. And so I pray, Baron — "
[108]

i (Entertains

" I told you that for that reason I had paid
the debt, and was not going to sue for it. Yamaki,
you had better be silent; this does not concern
you at all." Turning to Chijiwa, he said: "No,
that I won't do, but I'll break off friendship with
you from this very moment."

The thing having gone to this length, Chijiwa
saw that he need no longer be afraid, and began,
in a bold and sarcastic way:

"Break off friendship? I am not particularly
sorry for that, but — "

Takeo's eyes shot fire.

" You don't care for that if only you have money?
You coward ! "

"What?"

Yamaki, who had become somewhat sobered at
the situation, could not refrain from putting in a
word.

" Baron — Chijiwa-san — well, — be — be still
a moment. You can't settle it in that way. Say,
now — wait." Turning this way and that way:
" I say, wait."

They were forced to calm down. After a while

Takeo broke the silence, fixing his eyes on Chijiwa:

" Chijiwa, I won't say anything more about this.

We were brought up from childhood like brothers,

[109]

and I really thought you my superior in talent as
well as in age. I thought that we might be a mutual
help, and I meant to do my best for you as long
as I could. Until lately my trust in you has defied
all ill-report about you. But really I was deceived
by you. To deceive me is a personal affair, but,
more than that, you — no, I will not say it. I do
not care to hear how you spent the three thousand
yen. But let me say one word. You may not know
how quick people's eyes and ears are. But I tell
you that you're now under suspicion. I advise
you to take care not to smirch the honor of a soldier.
You care for nothing more precious than gold, so it
is useless to talk, but — study what shame is. I
shall refuse to see you in the future. I formally
make you a present of the three thousand yen."

Thus, speaking gravely, Takeo took up the note
before him and tore it to pieces. Rising suddenly, he
stepped out into the adjoining room and ran against
and knocked down Yamaki's daughter, Toyo, who
appeared to have been listening. Leaving her cry-
ing for help, he went out boldly towards the
porch.

The dumfounded Yamaki looked at Chijiwa,
whose eyes had just been raised to meet his:

"How boyish he is still! But, Chijiwa-san,
[no]

i Cntec'tatns

three thousand yen for breaking off friendship —
it isn't so bad, is it? "

Chijiwa looked down at the scattered pieces of
the note and remained motionless, biting his lips.

[in]

CHAPTER III

Continences

ARLY in February, Nami caught a cold. She
n recovered, but one evening she had to
sit up till late in order to finish a garment for
her mother-in-law, and she was taken sick again.
And on this, the fifteenth of the month, she was
still confined to her bed.

People love to remark that each winter exceeds
in cold any that went before, but, in this particular
year, they were certainly right, for the raw north
wind that daily raged often brought snow or rain,
and pierced one to the marrow even on fine days.
The strong fell sick, the ill died, and many were
the death-notices in the papers. The cold helped
to prolong the indisposition of Nami, who was not
in any way strong, and, though she showed no
special symptom, she spent day after day languidly,
with a heavy head and little appetite.

The clock had just struck two. After its vibra-
tions had died away, everything seemed to be silent
for a while, and the slow tick-tock of the clock added
to the stillness of the moment. It was a remarkably

[112]

Confluences

fine day for the season, and, though the light azure
of the early spring sky was shut out by four paper
screens, the mild light of the sun rested brightly on
them and a few filtered invisible rays even seemed to
dance about the nimble fingers of Nami, who was
lying down and knitting a black sock, and on her
glossy locks as they flowed wildly over a snow-white
pillow. On a screen to the left, the slender shadows
of a sumac were seen drooping over a bronze basin ;
on the right was clearly outlined an old broad-
stemmed plum-tree, whose bare boughs kept inter-
weaving in and out, the budding shadow with
flowers few and far between bespeaking a spring
still in its infancy. Above the low wainscot of one
screen the little head of a kitten basking in the
sunshine was shadowed forth. Suddenly she jumped
at a moth over her head, which had been allured
perhaps by the warm sun, and, missing it, fell flat
on the floor. But she did not seem to care a whit,
and presumably was taking her time in licking
her paws, as the shadow of her head was seen
nodding and nodding. Nami watched the whole
movement as pictured on the paper, and smiled,
but, being dazed, she shut her eyes and remained in
a dreamy dulness. Then, changing from one side
["3]

to the other, she stroked the half-knit sock and
began to move her needles in and out.

The noise of heavy footsteps was heard on the
veranda, and the dwarfed shadow of a portly human
figure moved along the screens. Presently it stopped
and disclosed itself to be the widow Kawashima,
who entered and sat by the bed.

" How do you feel to-day? "

" Much better, thank you, mother. I could get
up, but — "

Nami put her work aside, and, adjusting her
clothes a little, tried to sit up. The widow stopped
her.

" Oh, no, that won't do. I am no stranger, you
know. Don't trouble yourself over my coming.
Why, look there, you are knitting again. That
won't do, either. A patient has nothing to do but
to look after herself, you see. Now, Nami, you
must forget everything on Takeo's account. Take
care and get well soon, my dear — "

" Excuse me, I have been confined to my bed
so long — "

" You are not talking to your mother, are you ?
I don't like that; you are altogether too distant."

The widow did not say everything that was
in her mind. She used to complain that daughters-
["4]

Confluences

in-law in these days were not polite enough to a
person of her position, and thought it was at least
one redeeming point in Nami's favor that she was
remarkably free from such a defect. But to-day she
was thinking of something else, and, as if she were
suddenly reminded of it, she asked:

" Oh, you got a letter from Takeo, did you not ?
What did he say?"

Nami took out a letter from under her pillow
and showed her a part of it, saying:

" He is coming back next Saturday, he says."

"Is he?"

The widow ran her eyes over the paper and gave
it back.

" H'm, what nonsense he talks about taking you
away for your health. If you move about in this
cold weather you will be sick even if you are strong.
A cold will be easily cured if you stay in bed
patiently. Takeo is young, you know, and so he
is always over-anxious and talks about doctors and
going somewhere for the health. When I was young
I hardly ever went to bed for a little sickness, and
even when my child was born I did not stay in
bed more than ten days. Write to Takeo, and tell
him not to be anxious about you, as I am here."

The widow laughed, but her eyes showed her

displeasure. As she went out, Nami sat up, saying:
" Excuse me for not rising."

Then Nami drew a troubled breath.

She hardly believed that a mother could be jealous
of her son's wife, but, after the return of her
husband, she perceived that a strange feeling had
developed between her and her mother-in-law.
When Takeo returned from his cruise he found
Nami in very poor health; he sympathized with
her deeply for her anxiety for him during his ab-
sence, and his love for her was more apparent than
ever. Although Nami was very happy to be the ob-
ject of his thoughtful care, she was troubled to find
that her mother-in-law was jealous about it. How
hard it was, she thought, to love and be loved by
her husband, and yet to serve and please such a
mother-in-law as the widow was.

" Madam, Miss Kato is here to see you."

At the voice of the maid Nami opened her eyes.
On looking at the guest her face brightened joy-
fully.

" Well, O-Chizu-san ! It is so good of you to come
to see me."

" Do you feel better to-day? "
Putting aside her silk pouch and her head-gear of
[116]

Confluences

lilac crape, a girl of about seventeen in shimada
approached Nami's bed. Her slender figure was
clothed in a black overcoat, and her sparkling black
eyes shone brightly under her well-formed eye-
brows. She was Chizu Kato, eldest daughter of
the Baroness Kato, Nami's aunt.

Nami and Chizu were cousins. They had been
great friends from the time they were in the kinder-
garten, and poor Koma, the younger sister of
Nami, often complained that she was left without
any playmate. And so, after the marriage of Nami,
while other schoolmates were estranged gradually,
Chizu, on the contrary, was- delighted at the near-
ness of their houses, and came to see her quite
often. During Takeo's long absence the greatest
consolation of the sad and lonely Nami, excepting
the letters of Takeo burning with love, were the
friendly visits of her dear Chizu.

Nami said, smilingly: "I feel much better to-
day, but my head is still heavy and my cough
very troublesome."

" Oh, that is bad. But how cold it is! "

Glancing at the maid, who courteously offered
her a cushion, she took a seat near Nami. Then,
warming her hands with their jewelled rings over

jQamt-tto

the fire, she repeatedly covered her rosy cheeks with
them.

" Aunt and uncle are both well ? "

" All well, thank you. They are very anxious
about you, as it is so cold. We were saying last
night that when you get a little better you had
better go to Zushi for a change. It will certainly
do you good."

" Were you ? Takeo wrote me from Yokosura,
saying that I needed a change."

" Oh, did he ? Then you had better go as soon as
possible."

" But I shall get well very soon, anyway."

" You will have to be very careful of your
cold."

The maid came in and brought tea for Chizu.

" Kane, where is mother ? A guest ? Well, who ?
A man from the country? O-Chizu-san, you have
plenty of time to-day, I suppose? Kane, bring in
some nice things for O-Chizu-san."

" Why, I come often, you know. You can't
afford to entertain me always. Wait a moment."
Taking out a little box : " Your mother is fond
of rice dumpling, isn't she? I have brought her
some. But if she has a caller, take it in afterward."

" Thank you ; she will be so pleased."
[118]

Chizu then took out some red oranges. " Look
here, aren't these nice? These are my present to
you. But I fear they aren't very sweet."

" Oh, how nice! Do peel one for me, please."

Nami tasted with a relish the one that Chizu
gave her, and tried to brush back the loose hair
playing about her forehead.

" You feel uncomfortable, don't you ? Isn't it
better to dress it loosely? Now, let me help you.
No, no need of sitting up; that is all right."

Chizu brought in the necessary things from a
toilet-stand in the adjoining room, and began to
comb Nami's hair gently.

" I haven't told you about the alumni meeting
we had yesterday. You received a notice, didn't
you ? We had a very nice time. Everybody wanted
to be remembered to you." With a light laugh, she
continued : " It is only a year since we left our
school, but already one-third of us are married.
It was such fun to see Okubo-san, Honda-san,
and Kitakoji-san; they all dressed their hair in
marumage, and they looked peculiarly grave. Do
I hurt you? And, dear me, they all talked about
themselves. And then we had a debate on the
advisability of parents and married sons living apart.
Kitakoji-san took the negative, saying that her inex-

C"9]

perience as a housekeeper had constantly been sup-
plemented by the help of her gentle mother-in-law,
while Okubo-san championed the affirmative side, her
mother-in-law, you know, being very strict.

" Oh, it was so funny ! And then I tried to
perplex them, when they told me that I had no
business in such discussion, as I was still an out-
sider! Isn't this a little too tight?"

" No, not at all. You must have enjoyed it very
much. Every one spoke from her own experience, I
imagine. Things are different in each house, so
you cannot include all in a general proposition, I
suppose. O-Chizu-san, you remember what aunt
said once; that young people alone are apt to
become indolent and selfish. I think she was right
in saying so. We should not neglect the older
people ; don't you agree with me ? "

Nami was a thoughtful girl who had a taste of
her own in managing household affairs. She lis-
tened to her father's teachings with intelligence,
and watched the ways of her stepmother with
critical eyes. And she looked forward to the time
when one day she should be mistress of her own
house and put her ideas into practice. But here
with the Kawashima family she found what she had
scarcely dreamed of. The whole administrative
[120]

Confluences

power lay in the hands of an empress dowager, and
she herself stood in the position of a nominal princess
imperial. To conform to the new situation for
a while and wait for a better day — this was what
she did. But when she found herself standing
between her husband and his mother, and unable
to help him as she desired, she silently wept over
her hard fortune, and often doubted if her step-
mother's favorite theory on separate living, which
Nami once thought not congenial to her country's
custom, was not after all the better one. Nami,
however, was too spirited to give up rashly her
long-cherished ideas.

Tying Nami's coiffure with white ribbon, Chizu,
unable to read the inner thoughts of her cousin,
who had spent ten years under a stepmother and
almost one year by the side of a mother-in-law,
looked into her face and said, with a low voice:
" Does she still get out of temper often ? "

" Sometimes, but she treats me kindly since I
have been sick. But — she does not like me to
think so much of Takeo, that is the trouble. And
then Takeo on his part always tells me that here
mother is the queen, and I must try to please her
more than him ! Yes, — but let's stop talking about
such things. I feel more comfortable, thank you.

[121]

jftami ko

My head is much better now." And, feeling of
her head-dress, Nami closed her eyes wearily.

Putting away the comb and wiping her hands with
a piece of soft paper, Chizu stood a while before
the toilet-stand, where she finally noticed a little
box. As she opened it and took out something,
she said : " I am never tired of looking at this
pin. It is so beautiful. Takeo-san has good taste,
hasn't he?" Coming back to her seat: " Shunji,
you know, always urges me to study French or
German. He thinks that the wife of a diplomat
ought to know one of them. But it's too hard for
me." Shunji was the name of Chizu's future hus-
band, now an official in the Foreign Department.

" How I shall love to see you in marumage —
though the shimada becomes you so well," laughed
Nami.

"Oh, mercy!"

Her beautiful eyebrows were drawn together, but
a smile which blossomed out of her dainty lips
betrayed her.

" You know, O-Nami-san, Hagiwara-san, who
graduated the year before us ? "

"Yes, she who was married to Matsudaira? "

"Yes; she was divorced yesterday, I hear."

" Divorced ? What was the trouble ? "

[122]

Confluences!

" She was much liked by her husband's parents,
but Matsudaira appeared to take a dislike to her."

" Has she not a child ? "

" Yes, one. But Matsudaira turned from her
to a bad woman, and was so shameless in his in-
fidelity that Hagiwara-san's father got very angry,
and said that he would not have his daughter
married to such a man. And he at last called her
back."

"What a pity! Why did he dislike her ? Wasn't
it very cruel in him? "

" Indeed, it makes me angry to think of it. I
wish it had been the other way. How wretched
one must be not to be loved by one's husband,
although liked by his parents."

Nami sighed.

" It makes me feel sad and lonely to think how
those who attended the same school and studied
in the same class-room are scattered far and wide,
each following her own destiny. O-Chizu-san, we
two must be friends forever and stand by each
other!"

" That is my prayer."

Their hands were clasped unconsciously. After
a while Nami smiled, and said : " I dream of lots
of things as I lie here idle. Don't laugh at me

if I tell you one of my dreams. Suppose many
years hence we should have war with some foreign
power, and Japan wins. Then Shunji-san as Min-
ister of State for Foreign Affairs will go abroad to
negotiate a peace treaty, and Takeo as Commander-
in-Chief of our fleet will station scores of vessels
at the enemy's ports — "

" And then uncle of Akasaka will be Commander-
in-Chief of the Army, and my father in the Upper
House will have a bill passed appropriating hun-
dreds of millions of yen for the army and navy
expenditures."

" And then O-Chizu-san and I will join the
ranks of the Red Cross."

" But you can't do that if you are not strong,"
laughed Chizu.

No sooner had Nami laughed than she coughed
and put her hand to her right breast.

" We have talked too much. Are you in pain
there?"

" When I cough it hurts me here."

As she spoke Nami turned her eyes to the fading
light.

CHAPTER IV

ONLY five days following his return home in
disgrace with Takeo, and harboring a grudge
in his breast, Chijiwa was transferred suddenly
from his office at the Headquarters to a regiment
in the First Division.

There is a time at least once in life when every-
thing we do goes wrong, and we are constantly hur-
ried from bad to worse, as if Heaven would never
stop chastising us. During the past year Chijiwa had
been in this strait, and as yet he was unable to
see his way out. Nami had been snatched away
by Takeo ; his speculations had failed ; the borrow-
ing of money brought him disgrace; Takeo, whom
he had slighted as a mere boy, had humiliated him ;
and the intercourse with the Kawashima family, his
only relatives, had come to an end. And, more
than this, without a word of warning he was
stripped of his position at Headquarters, which, as
a short cut to his speedy promotion, he would have
defended at all hazards, and was consigned
to a petty office in a division which he had

J&amt feu

despised hitherto as a mere drudgery. Chijiwa,
however, was conscious of his guilt, and did not
dare to protest. Disdaining nothing in his mis-
fortune, he served in his new office unblushingly.
Hitherto he had been a self-possessed man who
never lost his presence of mind, but this last incident
dealt him such a blow that, whenever his thoughts
turned to his disgrace, he could not prevent his
blood from boiling up like a seething pit.

The present condition of Cbijiwa's life was
like that of a man who, putting his feet on the
ladder of promotion which leads inevitably to the
crown of success, had been knocked off suddenly
when he had already ascended one or two rounds.
But who had knocked him off? From a slight
hint in Takeo's words, and from the fact that the
Chief of the Headquarters staff was an intimate
friend of Lieutenant-General Kataoka, Chijiwa sus-
pected that the latter had at least some share in
the matter. Again, he knew Takeo to be a man
quite indifferent to money. So his extraordinary
anger about three thousand yen — though it in-
cluded the seal forgery — argued something deeper
than a matter of mere money. Might not Nami
have slandered him to Takeo about his old love-
making? The deeper he reflected the more his
[126]

suspicion became fact, and this in time added fuel
to his wrath. His resentment toward his lost love,
his chagrin at the loss of a promising position, and
all sorts of feelings of despair, jealousy, and hatred
eddied around the general, Nami, and Takeo, and
rose up like tongues of flame. He had been proud
of his cool-headedness and had laughed at the folly
of forgetting calculation in the heat of excitement.
But now, after these repeated overthrows, he lost
his temper so far that if he could not find vent for
the swelling volume of his venomous feelings he
felt as if he could no longer contain himself.

Revenge, revenge! There is no joy in this world
comparable to that of sipping the blood of those
whom we have detested, and of smacking the lips
over its deliciousness. Revenge, revenge! But
how? How could he lay a mine to blow up the
two odious houses of Kataoka and Kawashima, and,
springing it from a safe distance, glory in the de-
lightful scene in which the flesh of the hated men
and women would be rent and their bones crushed
as they all were sent half-alive to hell? This was
the problem that had crossed and recrossed Chijiwa's
mind, day and night, since last January.

It was the middle of March, when the plum-
blossoms were falling like flakes of snow. One

["7]

J&arai ko

day Chijiwa went to the Shinbashi Station to meet
a friend who had been transferred to Tokyo from
the Third Division. As he was going out of the
waiting-room he chanced to meet a tall lady with
a young girl just outside of the ladies' room.

"How do you do?"

Madam Kataoka and Koma stood in front of
him. For a moment Chijiwa changed color, but he
instantly recovered himself, reading from their faces
that they knew nothing of his conduct. He bore
malice, it was true, for the general and Nami, but
he saw at once there was no use in being an enemy
to Madam Kataoka. So he made a courteous bow,
and smilingly said, " How do you do? "

" You are quite a stranger."

" I should have called on you, but I have been
kept very busy these days. Where are you going
now?"

"ToZushi. And you?"

" Just to meet a friend here. Are you going
for a vacation ? "

" Oh, haven't you heard the news ? We have
a patient."

"A patient? Who is it?" Chijiwa wondered.

" Nami," answered the viscountess.

The bell rang at this moment, and the passen-
[128]

gees went along like a tide to the gates. Koma
urged her mother to hurry, saying, " Mother, it
is time."

Chijiwa took a bag from the hand of the vis-
countess and walked by her side.

"Is she very ill?"

" Yes, it is lung trouble."

" Lung trouble ? Consumption ? "

" Well, she had a severe hemorrhage, and so
went to Zushi the other day for the season. I am
going to see her now." Taking the bag from
Chijiwa at the gate, she thanked him, adding:
" Good-by ; I will be back soon. Come and see
me sometime."

As he watched the beautiful cashmere shawl and
the red-ribboned coiffure vanish into a first-class
compartment, Chijiwa turned about with a revenge-
ful smile on his lips.

Seeing that Nami's symptoms became more and
more marked, the doctor did all he could without
exciting alarm. But for all that her condition grew
steadily worse, and by the beginning of March it
became apparent that she was a victim of con-
sumption.

Even her mother-in-law, who, taking pride in
[129]

her own health, had derided the weakness of young
people and turned a deaf ear to any such plan of
treating sickness by a change of climate, was alarmed
at Nami's hemorrhages. She also was afraid of
the consequences, — she had heard of the infec-
tious nature of this dreadful disease, — and had
followed the advice of the doctor in sending Nami
with a suitable nurse to Kataoka's villa at Zushi.

Nami had shrunk from the first attacks of the
disease, feeling as if she were a lonely traveller
in a vast stretch of wilderness enshrouded in a coal-
black sheet of threatening clouds. But now that
the awful silence was already broken, and Nami
stood in the midst of deafening thunder and ghastly
lightning, black wind and smoking rain, she de-
termined to pass on quickly through the thick folds
of storm at any cost. And yet how horrible to think
of the first attack.

It was the second day of March. Nami was
feeling unusually well and was trying to amuse
herself by arranging flowers — something she had
not indulged in for a long time. Asking her hus-
band, who happened to be at home, to help her get
the material, she was sitting on the veranda and
selecting boughs from a beautiful budding red plum-
tree. All at once she felt a pain in her breast, her

head swam, and, uttering an involuntary cry, was
immediately overcome by a hemorrhage. It had
come at last — that moment which she had fore-
seen with a sense of horror, and she now felt that
she had caught a glimpse of her grave in the vague
distance.

Ah, death! When Nami had been a hapless
child life had little joy for her, and death little
sorrow. But now that she had tasted the sweets
of life, which was everything to her, to think of
its termination was simply terrible. And as she
meditated upon her doom, she felt that she must
fight against it by all means. Bracing her spirits,
too easily depressed, she assiduously took care of
herself, to the surprise of the attending doctor.

Takeo, who at that time was at the naval station
of Yokosura, within a short distance of Zushi, came
to see her often, snatching for this purpose every
spare hour. Letters came from her father, and
the visits of her aunt and Chizu were as frequent
as possible. And then her old nurse Iku, who had
been separated from her since the last summer,
when she was sent away from the Kawashima house-
hold, watched over her with a tenderness that
pleased Nami to such an extent that she even felt
a delight in the sadness of being ill, since it afforded

the opportunity for their happy meeting. And,
besides, there was an old faithful servant who at-
tended to every comfort about the house. Nami,
who had left the city when it was cold, and placed
herself in the mild bosom of the sunny shore,
breathed in the warm light of kindly nature and
the still warmer atmosphere of human sympathy.
She felt relieved, and, after two weeks, the hemor-
rhage stopped and the cough lessened. The doctor,
who visited her twice a week from Tokyo, was
pleased to find no progress in the disease, even if
she was not improving, and he assured her that
there was a hope of recovery if she would not worry
and would remain patiently under medical treat-
ment.

It was the first Saturday in April, and, although
still early for cherry flowers in the capital, here at
Zushi the wild cherry-trees on the hills had already
begun to bloom, and patches of white were seen
on the green slopes. But to-day nature seemed to
be in a gloomy mood, and from early morning the
rain drizzled and the hills and sea were blotted
out in one misty gray. The long spring day ap-
peared to draw itself out endlessly. Toward even-
ing, however, the rain steadily increased and the

wind began to rise. The wind shrieked and howled
through the doors and screens, and the rolling roar
of the angry sea sounded like the gallop of millions
of wild horses. The whole village of fishermen
bolted their doors, and not a light was seen to betray
their existence.

At the villa of Kataoka, however, a scene totally
different was presented. There Takeo was wel-
comed. He had been expected early in the day,
but, being unavoidably detained, he had hastened
to come through the deep dark of the stormy night.
He had already changed his dress and had eaten
supper, and was now leaning on a table reading
a letter. Opposite to him sat Nami, sewing a pretty
bag, and often stopping her needle to glance and
smile at her husband or to listen to the noise out-
side as she mused silently. A tuft of cherry flowers
and leaves was pinned in her hair. On the table
between the two was placed a lamp which burned
cheerfully and reflected a pink light from its shade.
In the vase near by a cherry spray was thrust, with
its snowy flowers silently drooping. Perhaps they
were dreaming of the spring they had left that
morning on the hill.

The noise of the wind and rain was heard rush-
ing and splashing around the house.

[J33]

Takeo folded the letter. " Father seems to be
very anxious about you," said he. " I have to go
to Tokyo to-morrow, so I will try to go to Akasaka,
too."

"You are going to-morrow? In this weather?
But mother will be waiting for you. I wish to
go with you."

" Nami-san ! Don't forget what you are here
for. Remember for awhile that you are in exile."

"If this be exile, I wish that I might spend" my
whole life here. My dear, you may smoke."

"Do I look as if I wanted to smoke? Well,
I had better not while I am here. But on the
day before I come and the day after I will smoke
twice as much as usual."

Nami laughed, and said : " Well, as you are
so good I will give you some nice cakes. Iku will
bring them."

" Thank you. Did O-Chizu-san bring them ?
What is that? A pretty thing, isn't it?"

" I am just killing time by making this for
mother. Oh, no, this won't hurt me. I am taking
my time, you know. I feel so well this evening.
Won't you let me sit up a little longer? I don't
look sick now, do I ? "

" You ought to feel well, for Doctor Kawashima
[134]

is here," he laughingly replied. " But you really
look better these days. No more fear about you."

Old Iku, who came in at that moment with
cakes and tea, remarked:

"What a terrible storm this is! We could
hardly sleep to-night if my master were not with
us. Miss Chizu has gone back, and the nurse also
has left for Tokyo. How lonely we should feel
without them, even though old Mohei is here."

" How a sailor at sea must feel in this kind of
weather! But I should think that the one who
is thinking of him at home is more to be pitied."

" Oh," said Takeo, drinking a cup of tea and
eating two or three pieces of cake in rapid succession,
" oh, this is mild weather. But if you were to be
in a big storm for two or three days in the South
China Sea, you would know what a terrible one
really is. A large vessel of over four thousand tons
will pitch thirty to forty degrees, the decks being
washed by the mountainous waves, and the hull
creaking like a wooden house. You wouldn't feel
very well, I'll wager you."

The wind grew more violent, and a blast dashed

the rain against the house, sounding like a shower

of pebbles. Nami shut her eyes and Iku shrugged

her shoulders. They stopped talking, and for a while

[135]

J&ami-io

only the voice of the storm was heard raging
furiously.

" Let us stop talking about dismal things. You
can do no better in this kind of weather than to
make the lamp burn bright and talk cheerfully.
This place seems to be warmer than Yokosura.
Wild cherry-trees are already in bloom like these."

Putting the flowers in the vase, Nami said : " Old
Mohei brought this from the hill this morning.
Isn't it beautiful? This weather, I am afraid, will
do much harm to the trees on the hill. But how
brave this looks! Oh, yes, I read this afternoon
in the. poems of Rengetsu this pretty one:

" ' How I love thee, O flower fair,

E'er blooming in thy first delight,
And in the morning sun so bright
E'er falling bravely, pure as air.' "

"What? E'er falling bravely? I tell you, our
people admire flowers and everything else too much
as they fall. That is very gallant, but it is not good
to be too gallant. In war or in anything, those"
who die quickly are losing ground. I want to
encourage the headstrong, obstinate, and enduring
side of our people's character. And so my song

will be like this. Listen. It will sound queer, as
it is my first trial, you know:

" Don't laugh and say 'tis obstinate
To stick so long, loathing to part
With life, but how it cheers my heart
To see the flowers bloom sedate
And bloom and bloom till Spring is late."

" How is this? Don't I beat Rengetsu?"

" Why, my master is a regular poet," remarked
Iku. " Don't you think so, madam ? "

Takeo was merry. " With old Iku's sanction,
I could at once establish my fame."

The noise of the increasing storm, reenforced by
that of the waves, filled a gap made in their talk,
and they felt as if they were out in a boat on the
angry sea. Old Iku went out to get some water
in a kettle. Nami took out the thermometer she
had just been using, and, reading it by the light, told
her husband proudly that her temperature was even
lower than usual. She then looked for a while at
the flowers on the table, and, suddenly dimpling,
said:

"It's just a year now. I remember the day
well. I was just starting in a carriage and my
folks came out to see me off, but I could not find

words to say farewell. Then, as I crossed Tameike
Bridge, the evening overtook us and the full moon
rose. Cherry flowers were in full bloom on the
hill beyond, and, when I drove past, the petals
came falling off like flakes of snow and danced
into my carriage window. One settled on a lock
of my hair, and I did not know it until my aunt
picked it off when I was about to get out."

Takeo, resting his cheek on his hand, said : " Oh,
a year or so passes very quickly. It will not be
long before we shall celebrate our silver wedding.
It amuses me to think how composed you looked
at our wedding. I always wondered how you could
appear so cool."

" I know you did, but I will tell you confidently
that I was really scared and could hardly hold the
ceremonial cup."

Iku came in with the kettle, smiling. " You are
having a good time. I never felt so light-hearted
at seeing you merry. This reminds me of our
stay at Ikao last year."

"Ikao! How I enjoyed it!" said Nami.

"How about the fern-gathering?" asked Takeo.
" I remember a lady who took her own time."

" But you hurried me so much," she expostulated.

" It will soon be the season for ferns. You must

get well, my dear, and we will have another fern-
gathering."

" Oh, yes, I must get well by that time."

The next day was miraculously fine after the
storm of the night.

Takeo was to go to Tokyo in the afternoon.
And wishing to take a walk that warm, windless
morning, he went out with Nami from the back
of the villa to the beach, passing over a sandy hill
covered with pine-trees.

"What fine weather! We never thought last
night that we should have such a fine day," said
Nami.

" No, indeed," replied Takeo. " See how near the
opposite shore seems to be. It looks as if it were
within call."

Stepping on the sandy beach, already dry, and
leaving behind them some children hunting for
shells and fishermen getting a seine ready, the two
walked along the crescent beach toward a lonely spot.

As if suddenly reminded of something, Nami
asked: "Do you know, my dear, what Chijiwa-
san is doing? "

" Chijiwa? That shameless fellow! I haven't
seen him since. But why do you ask about him ? "

I>39]

Nami, hesitating: " Why, you will laugh at me,
but I dreamed about him last night."

''You dreamed about him?"

" Yes, he was talking with mother."

" You worry yourself about such things," he said,
with a laugh. " But what was he talking
about?"

" I could not tell, but mother nodded many
times. O-Chizu-san told me the other day that
she had seen him and Yamaki walking together, so
I think that made me dream of him. My dear,
Chijiwa-san won't come to our house, will he?"

" He won't, I am sure. Mother is also angry
with him, you know."

A sigh escaped Kami's lips.

" I am always thinking how mother is vexed
with me on account of my illness."

Takeo felt a spasm go through him. He did
not tell his sick wife that since she had been away
his mother had become more and more ill-disposed
towards her, that she had advised him to keep away
as much as possible from Zushi for fear of infection,
or that she had grumbled about the trouble occa-
sioned by Nami's illness, and had even spoken ill
of the Kataoka family. If Takeo tried to appease
her, she would call him a fool, saying that he was
[140]

2-u6l)t

disobeying his parent for his wife's sake. And
this happened more than once or twice.

" Oh, you are over anxious. Why should you
worry? Use all your strength to get well and be
ready for next spring. We will then go with
mother to Yoshino to enjoy the wild cherry flowers.
Well, we have come quite a ways. Do you feel
tired? Shall we turn back?"

The couple now stood where the sandy coast rose
into a rocky hill.

" Let's go to Fudo. I am not at all tired. I
feel as if I could walk as far as America."

"Are you sure you are all right? Perhaps you
had better put on this shawl. The rocks are slippery,
so hold my arm fast."

Takeo helped Nami to follow a narrow path over
the rocks, and, stopping many times on the way,
they went to where some threads of water were
falling from above. By the side of the waterfall
was a shrine of Fudo. A few pine-trees, lengthen-
ing out their stems from the slope, looked down over
the sea slantingly.

Takeo brushed the dust from a rock and spread
the shawl to let Nami sit upon it. He took his seat
by her, and, clasping his knees, exclaimed: "How
calm this is ! "

[HI]

The sea was indeed very calm. The midday
sky was cloudless and blue to the very core of
heaven, and a vast expanse of the azure sea gleamed
here and there like a silken white sheet, and as
far as eye could reach not a single ripple disturbed
its perfect smoothness. The land and sea now rested
dreamily in a peaceful spring day.

" My dearest ! " said she.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Can this be cured?"

"What?"

" My disease."

"What are you talking about? Why should it
not be cured? Depend on me, you will be cured.
I will cure you ! "

Nami, leaning on her husband's shoulder : " But
I often think that I may never get well. My
mother died of this disease, and — "

" Nami-san, why do you talk like that to-day ?
You are certain to get well. You heard the doctor
say so, didn't you? Well, your mother might be
— by that disease, but you are under twenty, and
the disease is still in its early stage, so you may be
sure you will be cured. You know of Okahara,
one of our relatives? He lost his right lung, and
the doctors gave up all hopes of him, but he lived

fifteen years after that. You will be cured if your
will is strong enough. If not, it will be due to my
lack of love for you. But I do love you, and so you
will get well. But why are you in this mood?"

Takeo took Nami's right hand and pressed it
passionately to his lips. On her finger there sparkled
a diamond ring given to her by Takeo.

The two remained silent for awhile. A white
sail appeared coming from the direction of Yeno-
shima, and glided along on the smooth sea. And
the merry songs of the far away fishermen were
wafted to them through the still air.

Nami, with a smile in her swimming eyes, said:
" I shall be cured. Yes, surely. But why must we
die? How I should like to live a thousand and
twenty years! But, if we must die, let us die
together! "

" When you are gone, you may be sure I shall
not live."

"Really? What a joy to die together! But
you have a mother and duty to attend, and cannot
do as you wish. I shall have to go first and wait.
Will you think of me often when I am gone? You
will, dearest, won't you ? "

Shedding tears and patting Nami on the head,
Takeo said : " Let's talk no more of such sad
[H3]

things. Get well, Nami-san, and we shall live
to celebrate our golden wedding."

Clasping Takeo's hands tightly in hers and drop-
ping her head upon his knees, she wept. " I am
your wife even in death. Nothing shall ever part
us — neither foes, disease, nor death. I am your
own till the very end of time ! "

[H4]

CHAPTER V

Befcenge

'HE smile that rose to Chijiwa's lips when
he heard at Shinbashi Station of Kami's illness
signalized his first feeling of triumph in finding an
unexpected clue to the solution of the hard problem
which had hitherto remained unsolvable. The hated
families of Kawashima and Kataoka were concen-
trated in the person of Nami. Her disease was
therefore a rare opportunity for revenge. Its in-
fectious and fatal nature and the habitual absence
of Takeo also favored his scheming. And it seemed
that a word or two dropped between the widow
and her daughter-in-law was all that was necessary.
If his mine exploded at once, he would but jump
aside and view from a safe place the whole tragedy
in which they would be writhing in one bloody
struggle. Chijiwa's mind dwelt upon his revenge
and cheered his depressed soul.

He knew well his aunt's nature. He knew that

she was not so much offended with him as Takeo

was. He knew that she always looked down upon

Takeo as a mere boy, and trusted more to his own

[H5]

advice as a man of the world. He knew also that
as her relations were few and the young couple were
not at one with her, she was feeling lonesome in
spite of her extreme audacity, and that she wanted
some one to side with her. He, therefore, had no
difficulty in seeing that his scheme was sure of
success before he took a single step to advance it.
First of all, Chijiwa sent Yamaki occasionally
to the house of Kawashima to spy out its con-
dition, and also to set afloat false news about his
own penitent conduct. One night toward the end
of April, hearing that Nami was still far from well
after two months' treatment, and that his aunt
was more and more ill-disposed toward her, he
took advantage of Takeo's absence, and also of a
business trip of Steward Tazaki's, and found his
way to the house of Kawashima, which for a long
time had been unvisited by him. He happened to
find his aunt alone, deeply engrossed in thought,
with a letter from Takeo in her hand.

" No, there has been little result, though her
treatment costs a great deal of money," said the
widow. " It's more than two months, yet she is
far from recovery. I don't know really what to
do. I should be greatly relieved if I had some
[146]

Eetoenge

one to advise me, but you know Take is still a
boy — "

" I deeply sympathize with you, dear aunt. I
really ought not to be seen here, but this is a grave
matter for the house of Kawashima, and I cannot
keep silent when I think of what kindness you,
Takeo-san, and my deceased uncle have shown me.
And so I have been bold enough to call on you.
Well, dear aunt, there is no disease so dangerous
as consumption. You know there are many cases
in which a husband has caught it from his wife,
and the whole family has been swept away. I am
very anxious about Takeo-san, and if you are not
careful this will become a grave matter."

" You are right, I am also afraid of that, and
I have told Takeo not to go to Zushi. But he
won't hear me. Look here," pointing to the letter
in her hand, " nothing but his wife, what the doctor
said or the nurse did, and so on."

Chijiwa rejoined with a smile:

" But, aunt, that can't be helped. The love
between husband and wife can never be too great.
Takeo-san's care for his sick wife deserves nothing
but praise."

" Well, but is it right for him to disobey his
parents on account of his wife's sickness? "
[H7]

Chijiwa sighed.

" How things have changed ! It was only yester-
day that we thought Takeo-san was well mated,
and you were pleased. But now has come the
turning-point in the history of the house of Kawa-
shima for good or for bad. And you have had
some sort of sympathy from O-Nami-san's parents?"

" Oh, a mere formal call from that proud lady,
with an unimportant present! From Kato we had
visits two or three times, but — "

Chijiwa again heaved a sigh.

" In a time like this her parents should be quick
to see our trouble. But how can they remain so
indifferent, forcing such a sick girl upon us? Well,
this is a world of self-interest. That is all."

" Undoubtedly."

" But what concerns us most is Takeo-san's
health. If what we are fearing most should happen,
it would be the end of the house of Kawashima.
And he may contract the disease at any time. But
since they are married you cannot keep them sep-
arate."

" Exactly."

" The duty of parents is not to let children
always have their own way. Sometimes it is for
their own good that you whip them. And then,
[148]

young people may look very desperate at first, but
after some time they change their minds quite
readily."

"That is very true."

" You cannot risk the safety of the house of
Kawashima for a little love or pity."

" Certainly not."

" And then, if by chance she be with child, that
is the end of — "

" Exactly, that is the point."

Seeing that his aunt was impressed by his argu-
ment, Chijiwa felt his heart leap at his success,
and at once changed his subject. He not only
awaited a speedy circulation of the poison he had
deposited in her mind, but he also found seed already
sown, which, covered as it were with temporary
reserve, would in time germinate, bloom, and bear
fruit. And that time, he knew, was not far dis-
tant.

In her real self, Takeo's mother was not so bad
as to despise Nami on any account. On the con-
trary, she appreciated Nami's effort to bring her-
self into accord with her mother-in-law in spite
of the vast difference in culture and temper, re-
joiced over their occasional coincidence in some
points of taste, and even thought in her inmost
[H9]

Jftamt fco

heart, though she had never shown it, that she
herself had been by no means the equal of Nami
in her youth. But when she saw Nami, after a
month's lingering sickness, the victim of an incurable
disease, before her very eyes, and, again, when she
saw that in spite of the expenditure of no small
amount of money there was no hope of speedy
recovery, she felt in her heart a strange feeling
of disappointment or disgust, she knew not which.
And, as her feelings gathered volume with every
turn of thought, her reserve melted away before the
growth of that stronger feeling of hatred.

Chijiwa, on his part, entered cleverly into every
by-path of his aunt's mind, and, trying on his occa-
sional visits to bring her to his way of thinking,
awaited the time when an actual conflict should
take effect. By the time Chijiwa's frequent calls
on his aunt in Takeo's absence began to be talked
about, he had already carried his main plan through,
and had celebrated with Yamaki his success as the
author of a coming drama.

[ISO]

CHAPTER VI

ana

TTTARLY in May the warship on which Takeo
A J was serving was to go south to a naval station
at Saseho, and thence north to join a naval manoeuvre
of the united squadrons near Hakodate. And, as he
had to be away for over a month, he went home
one evening to take leave of his mother.

The widow had lately been out of sorts with
Takeo, as if she had had a flea put into her ear. But
this evening she was unusually pleasant, and looked
personally after his comfort. Indifferent as he was
to small things, Takeo felt discomposed at her
unusual tenderness. But any boy, however old he
gets, is happy to be loved by his mother. And
Takeo was now particularly so after her recent ill-
temper. Having eaten a good dinner, he allowed
his thoughts to wander, as he was taking a bath and
listening to the pattering sound of the rain-drops
from the reminiscence of what he had seen that day
at Zushi on his way home, to the happy time when
Nami would recover from her illness and await
his return. Refreshed by bathing and clad in a

loose garment, he now entered his mother's room,
rubbing his forehead with the palm of his right
hand while he held a lighted cigar between his
fingers.

The widow was just having her shoulders mas-
saged by the maid, and was smoking her long pipe.
She looked up as she said : " Have you finished
so soon? You remind me of your father as he
used to come out of his bath. Won't you sit down
on that cushion? Matsu, all right; go and bring
tea now."

The widow rose, and took down a cake-plate
from the cupboard.

" You treat me like a guest, mother." Puffing
his cigar, Takeo smiled.

" You came back just at the right time, Take. I
had something to talk over, and wanted to see you.
You stopped on your way at — Zushi ? "

Although Takeo knew that his mother disliked
his constant visits to Zushi, he was unable to deceive
her.

" Yes, just for a short time. She seems to be
getting well. She was very sorry to cause you
trouble on her account."

"Was she?"

She watched Takeo's face closely.

Just then the tea-things were brought in, and,
as the widow took them, she said : " You are not
needed for the present, Matsu. Shut the screen
tight."

The widow poured out tea for Takeo and for
herself. And, after sipping a cupful, she took up her
long pipe, and, as she filled it, opened her lips.

"I am in very poor health. My last year's
rheumatism almost resulted fatally. I went to visit
the grave yesterday, and I still feel my bones ache.
I feel as if I had one foot already in the grave.
Take care of yourself, my dear Take, and never
get sick."

Shaking the ashes from his cigar into the fire-
box, Takeo looked at his mother, who, though
extremely fleshy, had not a few wrinkles on her
forehead.

" I am away nearly all the time, and there is no
one besides you to take charge of the house. I wish
Nami were well and able to help you. She is
always saying that, too."

" Well, she may be thinking that, but I am afraid
of consumption."

" But she is getting much better now. The
weather is growing warmer, and, besides, she is
young and may outgrow the disease."
[I53l

" Nevertheless, I doubt very much her speedy re-
covery, Take. I heard from the doctor that her
mother also died of consumption."

" Yes, she told me that, too, but — "
" Consumption is hereditary, isn't it ? "
" They say so, but Nami got it from a bad cold.
Everything depends upon one's caution, you know.
People talk about infection or heredity, but, in the
point of fact, there are other causes. You know
how strong Kami's father is, and then Kami's
sister, — yes, O-Koma-san, — she has not shown
the slightest signs of consumption. We are not
so weak as doctors love to think." And he
laughed.

" Yes, but it is not to be laughed away like that."
Emptying her pipe by striking it against her hand,
she continued : " I think this is the most dreadful
of all diseases. You know, Take, the Governor
Togo's family. The mother of that boy whom you
used to quarrel with died of consumption about
two years since. And Togo-san himself died of
the same disease only six months ago. You know
that, don't you? And then his son — he was an
official engineer somewhere, I heard — also died of
it lately. They all got it from one person. I
can tell you many more cases like this. So, Take,
[154]

anil

we have to look out very sharply; if not, it will
have serious results."

The widow, putting aside her pipe, leaned for-
ward, and, looking sidewise into the face of Takeo,
who was listening silently, continued: " I have
something I want to talk over with you — " She
hesitated a little, and fixed her eyes on Takeo.
" Nami, you know — "

" What ? " Takeo raised his face.

" What do you think of having Nami — called
back?"

" Called back? What do you mean by calling
her back?"

The widow, without taking her eyes off Takeo's
face, said : " To her parents' house."

" Parents' house ? You want her to be taken
care of there? "

" Well, they may take care of her ; but, at any
rate, you should have her called back — "

" But Zushi is the best place for her. They
have children at Kataoka's, and, besides, it would
be far better for her to stay here if you want her
to return to Tokyo."

Drinking her tea, which was cold by this time,
the widow spoke with a tremor in her voice.

" Take, you are not drunk, I suppose. But why

[155]

do you pretend to misunderstand me?" With a
sharp look at Takeo's face, " What I meant is this
— to send Nami back to her parents' house."

" Send back? Send back? Divorce, you mean? "

"Softly! You talk too loud, Take." Looking
at her trembling son, she said : " Divorce — well,
you may call it so."

"Divorce! Divorce! But why?"

" Why, you ask ? As I told you before, it is
because of the dangerous nature of her disease."

" Because of consumption — you want me to
divorce Nami ? "

" Yes, exactly, though I am sorry for it."

"Divorce!"

The cigar slipped from Takeo's hand and smoked
furiously in the fire. The lamp burned with a hiss,
and the night-rain spattered against the window-
door.

Burying the smoking cigar in the ashes, the
widow began to speak persuasively.

" I don't blame you for being so surprised at
hearing this. It's too sudden to you, but I have
thought it over for many days, and you must listen
to me with that in mind. Now, there is nothing
in Nami that displeases me particularly, so far as
I see, and you like her, too. Therefore I very
[156]

anil

much hate to say such a thing. But, say what you
will, the dangerous nature of the disease — "

"But she is recovering," Takeo interposed, hastily,
and looked up to her defiantly.

" Listen to what I say. She may not be so bad
now, but I have heard the doctor say that the
disease will soon grow worse, although temporarily
it may look all right. A change in the weather will
easily bring this about. No one has ever been
absolutely cured of consumption; that is what the
doctor says. Though Nami is by no means seriously
ill now, she will be sure to grow worse later, and
you will certainly catch the disease. You may have
a child, and he will inherit it. Suppose not only
Nami, but you, the master of the house, and your
child, the heir to your estates, all die of consumption.
The house of Kawashima will utterly fall to the
ground. In that way this house, whose fortune was
founded by your father's industry, and was particu-
larly favored by the Mikado, will be ruined in your
own day. It is true that Nami is much to be pitied,
that you feel very sorry for her, and that I myself
as a mother feel very reluctant to propose such a
thing, but think what her disease is. Much as
she is to be pitied, Nami cannot change places with
you, master of the house, or with the house of

[157]

Kawashima itself. You will be wise enough to
see the point and to make up your mind for
good."

In the mind of Takeo, who listened all the while
in silence, the face of the sick wife whom he had
visited in the morning appeared clear as day.

" Mother, I cannot do such a thing."

"Why?" Her voice was raised a little higher.

" If you do so now, Nami will die."

" Very well, then, she must die. But, Take,
I am more anxious for your life — for the house
of Kawashima."

"If you think of me, mother, please feel with
me. You may think it strange, but, really, I can't
do it on any account. She is still young, and not
yet competent to help you, but she loves you as
well as me. How dare I to divorce such an
innocent wife merely on account of her illness?
There is no reason why consumption cannot be
cured. Yes, she is now on the way to recovery.
But if she must die, oh, mother, let her die
as my wife. If the disease is dangerous, I
may not visit her; I will use all my caution
and do just as you like. But to divorce her is what
I cannot do for all the world."

" Pooh ! You speak only of Nami, but you have

Jftotljer anB

not thought of your own life and the house of
Kawashima."

" You speak of my life only, but what use is
there in living by cruel and unjust means? To
act inhumanly and unjustly never does good to
any house; and it is not to the honor and glory
of the Kawashima house. I cannot divorce her —
no, never."

Prepared as she was for some sort of opposition,
the widow was rather surprised at Takeo's uncom-
promising attitude, and her easily excitable temper
was thereby mercilessly aroused. The veins stood
out on her forehead, the temples quivered, and the
hand which held the pipe was shaking. But she
struggled hard to repress her fury, and bravely
tried to smile.

" Oh, d-don't get so excited. Think it over
calmly. You are still young and don't know much
about the world. But you know the saying, ' Save
a large animal though you kill a smaller one.' Nami
is the smaller animal, and you — the house of Ka-
washima — are a larger animal. I pity Nami and
feel very sorry for her parents, but isn't it wrong to
fall ill? Whatever they may think of us, it is far
better not to bring the house of Kawashima to an
end. You speak of injustice or inhumanity, but
[159]

you can find many cases like this everywhere. It
is right to divorce a wife when she is not con-
tributing to the prestige of the house; it is right
to do so when she fails to give birth to an heir;
and it is right to do so when she contracts a dan-
gerous disease. This is the rule, don't you know?
There is no need of bringing in the question of
justice or humanity. In a case like this, her parents
ought to come to take her back. But, as they won't,
what wrong is there in saying what we want them
to do?"

" You say ' right, right,' but we have no right
to do wrong because others do wrong. To divorce
on account of illness — that is a thing of the past.
But if that be the rule now, it is worth while to

\ f ^ ^-^^— ™»^^™*^^^

break it, indeed, we must break it. You are think-
ing of our family only, but how will Nami's family
feel to have the daughter whom they have just
given away sent back merely because of her illness?
And then how could Nami go back without being
humiliated ? Imagine a case in which I am suffering
from lung trouble, and they come to take Nami
back because consumption is a dangerous disease!
Would you like that? Yet it is the same thing."

" No, that is different. Women are not equal
with men."

[160]

anfc

" Yes, they are. They are equal at least in feel-
ing. But, coming down to a more practical point,
Nami has recently recovered from the attacks and
has shown some sign of improvement. If you now
do such a thing, it will cause a relapse. She will
die — surely die. I couldn't do such a thing even to
a stranger. Do you want me to — kill Nami ? "

Takeo wept.

The widow stood up suddenly, and, taking down
an ihai1 from the household shrine, set it in front
of Takeo.

" Look here, Takeo. You make light of my

t
words, but repeat what you have been saying before

your father. Repeat it. The spirits of your an-
cestors are looking at you. Say it once more. You
disobedient son! "

Looking intently at Takeo, she struck her pipe
repeatedly against the rim of the fire-box.

Mild as he was to his mother, Takeo now turned
red in the face.

"How am I disobedient?"

" How? Why do you ask that? Is it not dis-
obedient for the sake of your wife to ignore what
your mother says? Is it not disobedient to think

1 Ihai : a wooden tablet with a Buddhist name inscribed
thereon, to represent the spirit of the dead.

[161]

nothing of the body I brought up, and to ruin this
ancestral house against my will? You are a dis-
obedient son, Takeo, a Violator of filial duties."

" But humanity — "

" Out with that word. Do you value your wife
more than your parents? Fool! You talk only
of wife, wife, but do you never think of your par-
ents? You dog, always talking of Nami. We
will disown you."

Takeo bit his lip, his eyes hot with tears.

" Mother, you are too cruel."

"Why cruel?"

" I have never had such ideas toward you. But
you don't know my mind."

" Why, then, do you not obey me and divorce
Nami?"

"But that — "

" No, no buts. Come, Takeo, you value either
your wife or your mother. What? You value
Nami? What? Humph! Fool!"

She struck the fire-box angrily with her pipe,
which broke into pieces, the bowl flying off and
hitting the screen.

At this, some one was heard on the other side of
the screen, checking a half-uttered exclamation ; and
presently a trembling voice said: "E-excuse — me."
[162]

anil

"Who is it? What is it?"

" A telegram — "

Only two minutes intervened between Takeo's
opening the screen and glancing over the paper and
the maid's slipping away, frightened by the fierce
gaze of the widow. But, in this brief time, their
passion had cooled a little, and mother and son sat
in dead silence.

The rain came down in torrents.

The widow opened her mouth at last. Her eyes
still flashed anger, but her words were somehow
softened.

" Take, I don't mean to do you any wrong, if
I say this. You are my only child, and my sole
pleasure is to have you rise in the world and to
see the face of a sturdy grandson."

Takeo, who had been engrossed deeply in thought,
raised his head heavily, and, showing the telegram,
said : " They send me word that I must go at
once. I must therefore start to-morrow at the
latest. I shall be back after a month or so. You
must never mention this matter till I return."

The next day Takeo received her assurance once
more, and, visiting the family doctor and asking

"

his careful attention to Nami, went down to Zushi
by an afternoon train.

As he alighted, the sun set, and the crescent moon
was hanging in the lavender sky. He crossed the
bridge over a streamlet, and stood on a road which
wound through a dusky pine grove. When he
emerged from the grove and saw the tall pole of
a well-bucket outlined dark against the evening
sky, the unexpected sound of a harp was wafted to
him.

" Ah, it is she that is playing," thought he, and,
feeling as if his heart would break, he stood for
a while at the gate to wipe away his tears. Nami
was unusually well, and was expressing on the harp
the longing in her heart for her husband.

Nami saw at once that something was on Takeo's
mind, and he evaded her questions only by saying
that he had sat up late the night before. He and
Nami sat down to the dinner especially prepared
for his coming, but they could eat but little. Nami
\S wore a cheerless smile in order not to betray her
sad heart, and was occupied in sewing buttons on
her husband's coats and in brushing his garments
carefully when the time for the last train drew
near. When he could stay no longer, Takeo rose
to go. Nami, clinging to his arm, said:
[164]

anil

"You must go now, dearest?"

"I'll be back soon. Take good care of your-
self and get better."

Their hands were clasped tightly. At the porch,
old Iku attended to his shoes, and the servant Mohei
was waiting to see him to the station, a satchel in
the left hand and a lighted lantern in the other.

" Well, Iku, I entrust Nami to your care. Nami-
san, I am going."

" Come back soon, dear."

Takeo nodded. He walked about a dozen steps
by the light of the lantern, and then looked back.
Nami was standing by the gate with her white
shawl on, and waving her handkerchief.

" Come back soon ! "

" Yes, I will. You will get chilled outside.
You'd better go in, Nami-san."

But a white dim figure stood there when he
looked back for the second and the third time. Then
he came to a turn in the road, and the figure was
lost to view. Only for the third time the cry,
" Come back soon ! " followed him in tearful suppli-
cation. Down near the horizon the thin fast-
sinking moon was seen through the pine-trees.

CHAPTER VII

T T 7ITH a lively shout announcing the mas-
ff ter's return, Yamaki had been drawn up
in a kuruma to the porch. Now, having taken a
bath, he sat on a downy cushion in tailor fashion with
his back to the alcove where early iris flowers were
arranged in a vase, appearing at his ease and as
if he were now his own master. Dinner was set
before him. First he took some sake, and, with his
wife O-Sumi as waitress, he cast on her a glance
which though by no means discontented, seemed to
take in her homely appearance.

The maid brought in an evening paper.
" Well, about Korea — the uprising threatening
— what ? China sends soldiers ? Good. Japan will
be sure to send soldiers, too. Then we'll have war.
That will be a great opportunity for money-making.
O-Sumi, you must have a cup also, in celebration
of the event."

" Are we really going to have war ? "
"Yes. Good! Good! But, O-Sumi, I have
another good thing for you. I saw Chijiwa to-day,
[166]

and he told me that the matter was progressing
well."

" Is that so? Did Takeo-san give his consent? "

" Why, no. He is still away, and there is no
possibility of getting his consent. But O-Nami-san
has had another hemorrhage, and the widow has
given up her last hope, and has said that she will
carry out her intention during Takeo-san's absence.
The thing will surely be done if Chijiwa continues
to egg her on. It would be extremely difficult to
carry out the plan when Takeo-san is at home, and
the widow intends to make short work of it while
he is away. Everything then will work all right
for our benefit. Here, your ladyship, fill up."

" O-Nami-san is to be pitied."

" You are a very peculiar woman. You wanted
to get rid of O-Nami-san because O-Toyo was to
be pitied, and now the thing is about to succeed,
and you begin to pity O-Nami-san! Have done
with such nonsense. Try to think how you can
put O-Toyo in her place."

" But I am afraid that Takeo-san will be very
angry if he finds O-Nami-san divorced in his
absence."

" Well, he may, but his anger will avail nothing
if the matter is settled. And then, Takeo-san is

a good boy, so, if the widow weeps, he will let
the matter pass in silence. I am pretty sure of
that. Well, so far so good. Now, as regards the
matter of vital importance, — that is, Lady O-Toyo,
— we will wait a little till his fiery feeling is
somewhat dampened, and then send her to him,
invited or not, under the pretence of learning good
manners. Of course, we shall pay board and all
other expenses. Why, it is not so difficult as it
first appears to be. All depends upon the widow's
whim. If O-Toyo be Baroness Kawashima, she
will obtain her dearest wish, and I, as a father-in-
law, must supervise the property of Kawashima
House, Takeo-san being a mere child, you know.
That is nice — well, too nice not to be troublesome.
But let it be. Our immediate concern, however,
is about O-Toyo."

" Won't you take rice now? "

" Never mind ; this is a celebration, you know.
But you must look after her manners a little more
closely. If not, she will be spoiled. Such fretting
every day will be sure to discourage any mother-
in-law, even if she be a Goddess of Mercy."

" But then I can't instruct her by myself. You
always — "

" Oh, don't. I hate that sort of excuse. Proof
[168]

is better than argument, they say. I'll show you
how to instruct. Call in O-Toyo."

" Miss, your father wants to see you."

At the voice of the maid Take, Toyo, who had
just finished her evening toilet, but was still unable
to leave the glass, turned around leisurely.

" All right, just a moment." Touching her
hair: "Say, Take, isn't it a little disarranged
here?"

" No, not at all. How charming you look ! "

" Thank you." She looked at the glass and
smiled.

Take, taking off her sleeve, with which she had
covered her mouth, and composing herself, said:
" Your father is waiting for you."

" I know. I am coming."

Taking her last lingering look in the glass, she
passed through several rooms in haste and went
to her father's room.

" Oh, O-Toyo, we are waiting for you. Come
here. Fill my cup in place of your mother. Oh,
don't put down the bottle so roughly. That doesn't
show your training in tea-serving. That is right;
do it so, gracefully."

Yamaki, already mellow with sake, drank again
[169]

Jftarai fee

in spite of his wife's warning, as he resumed :
" O-Toyo looks charming if properly dressed like
this, doesn't she, O-Sumi ? Her complexion is fair."

Toyo smirked and twisted herself almost into
the shape of the letter S.

" Graceful in form and quite charming in speech
on a proper occasion. Only her front teeth, like
her mother's, protrude a little."

" Hyozo! " O-Sumi knit her brows. Toyo,
feeling as if she had drunk vinegar after eating
candy, made a sweet-sour face.

" Raise the ends of your eyes one-third of an
inch, and you will improve your looks."

" Hyozo ! " O-Sumi would have wished to shut
the door of his mouth if it had been provided with
one.

" There ! Why are you provoked, O-Toyo ?
That will spoil your looks. You need not look so
unpleasant. See here. I have some good news
for you. Fill up once more for my trouble, and
I'll break it to you."

Draining the cup filled to the brim, Yamaki
proceeded with a cheerful smile.

" We were just talking about Takeo-san."

Like a horse which had spent unhappy days by
an empty manger, and at last awakened to the

fragrance of spring weeds, Toyo raised her head
and pricked up her ears.

" You scratched O-Nami-san's picture, so she has
at last been smitten with your curse."

" Hyozo! " Madam O-Sumi knit her brows for
the third time.

" Now to the point. At any rate, O-Nami-san is
very ill, and for that reason she will be divorced.
No, the matter has not yet been presented to her
parents, and O-Nami-san herself does not know
anything about it, but at all events it will soon
be settled. There comes the trouble of finding a
substitute. Now this is the point : your mother and
I want to let you step into the shoes of O-Nami-
san. No, it cannot be so soon, so we will send you
to Kawashima as a maid — wait, don't be so aston-
ished — as a candidate, you know, under the pre-
text of learning good manners. Now, your success
hinges on the widow's pleasure, you understand.
That is the point."

He stopped for breath, and glanced from his
wife's face to that of his daughter.

" This is the point, O-Toyo. It's a little early,
but I want to impress it on you. As you know,
Takeo-san's mother is known for her crossness,
selfishness, and obstinacy, — oh, excuse me, I am

forgetting that she is your future mother, — but,
at any rate, she is not a gentle lady, as is your
mother sitting there. But she is not a devil or a
snake, but a human being. If you only acquire
tact, you can be a wife even to a devil or a snake.
Why, if I were a woman, I could make the widow
or any one like her as soft as gingerbread in two
days. Well, my pride will avail you nothing, but
I can instruct you how to act. Now, you must
pay attention to what I say, O-Toyo. If you go
there as maid, — that is, as a disguised candidate
for a bride, — first of all you must not be so lazy
as now. You will have to get up early in the morn-
ing— old persons, you know, are early risers —
and attend carefully to the widow's things, though
you neglect other matters. And secondly, you must
not be easily provoked as you are now; you will
have to yield in every case. Do you understand?
" You must yield when you are scolded ; you must
yield when any unreasonable demand is made; you
even must yield when you are right. Then they
will meet you half-way. This is what is meant
by the saying, to lose is to gain. You must never
be provoked, you understand ? Thirdly, — this is
rather too early, but I tell you now that I have the
chance, — suppose at last you are married. You

must be careful not to live happily with Takeo-
san.

" No, I don't care what you do in secret, but I
mean you must be careful how you act toward him
openly. Be familiar with your mother-in-law, but
to your husband you must be bold enough to read
him a bit of a harmless lesson before her. A mother
should be glad to see that her daughter-in-law is
much attached to her son, but, strange to say, she
does not generally like it. Well, it's jealousy or
selfishness. But, aside from that, if you care too
much for your husband, you are apt to neglect
your mother-in-law. At least, she thinks so.
O-Nami-san may have made a blunder in that
way, being too happy with Takeo-san. Oh, don't
look so jealous. You must yield these, as I told
you. So you must let the widow feel that you are
her bride and not her son's. Quarrels between a
mother and her daughter-in-law generally arise
from the former's feeling of isolation on account
of the too happy condition of the young couple. So
think of yourself as the bride of the widow. After
it is all over with her by and by, you may even
walk about clinging to the neck of Takeo-san. But
in the presence of the widow, you must not even
smile upon him. I have some more advice for you,
[173]

but will reserve it until you are ready to go. These
three things are quite enough at present. Since
you are to be a wife to your dearest Takeo-san,
you must do your best to deny yourself. Begin
now and do the best you can."

Before he had concluded, the screen was opened,
and the maid Take brought in a letter. Yamaki
broke the seal, ran his eye over the letter, and
flourished it before the faces of his wife and daugh-
ter.

" Look here. Widow Kawashima wants to see
me at once ! "

Two weeks after Takeo went to the naval
manoeuvre, and a few days before Yamaki was
summoned to the house of Kawashima, Nami had
another hemorrhage, and the doctor was called in
a hurry. Luckily it was slight, and she was assured
of her safety for the present, but this news gave
no small incentive to Takeo's mother. A day or
two later, the corpulent figure of Widow Kawa-
shima, rarely seen outside her gate, was on the way
to Kato's at lidamachi.

On the evening the divorce question was dis-
cussed between the widow and her son, she met
Takeo's unexpectedly firm opposition, and had

[174]

promised to let the matter remain unsettled till
his return. But she doubted if he would yield by
that time; indeed, on the contrary, she feared that
time would rather strengthen his attachment to
Nami, and moreover, that some unforeseen obsta-
cle might present itself. Therefore, she thought
it best to settle the matter at once in her son's ab-
sence, but, nevertheless, a vague sort of fear, as well
as her promise, kept her from taking a step decisive
enough to satisfy Chijiwa, who came often to urge
her on. The report of Nami's second hemorrhage,
however, turned the scale completely, and induced
the widow to call on Kato, who had acted as mid-
dleman in her son's marriage.

Although they were neighbors, the widow hardly
ever visited the Kato family, except the once when
she returned thanks for their assistance in the mar-
riage. So her unexpected call naturally aroused
the suspicion of Madam Kato that there was some
unusual trouble on hand. She received the guest
courteously. But when she heard what had brought
the widow, she felt as if her heart were pierced.
Who would have thought that she should be asked
to break the tie asunder with the same hands that
had joined the two houses of Kataoka and Kawa-
shima !

[175]

Madam Kato could only watch her guest, won-
dering what sort of assurance she possessed to come
to her and utter unblushingly such heartless words.
But the widow sat self-composed, with her body
corpulent and erect, and her hands locked on her
knees. Surely, Madam Kato thought, the widow
was not joking, nor was she out of her wits. But,
as she finally was compelled to admit that the
widow was saying what she meant, her surprise
was replaced by the kindling fire of her wrath.
Harsh words to rebuke the widow for her too
selfish position were about to escape from the lips
of Madam Kato. But, by an effort, she was able
to check them for the sake of Nami, who was dear
to the lady as her own daughter, and, instead, she
asked the reasons, combated them mildly, sym-
pathized with the widow's position, and finally
entreated her forbearance. This last, however,
failed to reach the widow's ear. On the contrary,
she showed by a glance her contempt for such useless
loquacity, and in that way reminded the lady that
her business was merely to carry the widow's mes-
sage to Kami's parents. Before Madam Kato's eyes,
as she listened to the widow, floated the picture of
her sick niece, of the death-bed of her sister, Kami's
mother, and of the general, anxious for his daughter's
[176]

welfare. And, as her feelings gathered volume and
her eyes were clouded with tears, Madam Kato rose
up bravely and gave a flat refusal, without stop-
ping to wait for her husband's opinion, saying that,
though the house of Kato had had the honor of
assisting the two families to unite in the bond of
love, they could not defile their hands in such an
unjust and unhuman cause.

The widow went home enraged, and sent for
Yamaki by letter that very evening. She thought
that honest Tazaki was too slow for such important
business. On Madam Kato's part, her husband
being away, she was puzzled very much what to
do, but, with the help of her daughter Chizu, did
her best to ascertain the whereabouts of Takeo's
ship, and wrote him in haste, thinking, in spite
of the widow's statement, that he was opposed to
such a step. While this was being done, the en-
raged widow made up her mind to make a direct
application, and, having commissioned Yamaki for
that purpose, his kuruma was soon on the way to
the house of Kataoka.

[177]

CHAPTER VIII

Recall

T"UST as Yamaki's kuruma was entering the
tJ gate of Lieutenant-General Kataoka's house
at Akasaka, a brave-looking military officer emerged
on horseback. Taking alarm at the noise made by
the kuruma as it dashed in, the horse shied, and
almost stood erect on his hind legs. The soldier,
however, bringing him down easily by reining in
and circling once, rode out of the gate.

Watching the elegant figure of the rider, as he
rode off, and clearing his throat, Yamaki neared the
stately porch. He had been accustomed to visit the
houses of many illustrious officials, but now he felt
his heart strangely failing within him. The night
before, when he was commissioned by the Widow
Kawashima for this day's business, he felt some-
what embarrassed, but when he came actually to
face it, he pitied himself for the comparative weak-
ness of his heart, which he had prided himself was
as bold as brass.

After his card had been sent in and the attendant
had appeared for the second time, Yamaki was

Eecall

shown to the reception-room. On a table was
spread a map of China and Korea, which, with
burnt matches and a heap of ashes on the small
tray, brought to mind the topic which must re-
cently have been discussed. Indeed, the uprising
in Korea, the movement of Chinese troops, and the
rumored despatch of the Japanese army was attract-
ing the attention of the whole world at this time,
and, though he was on the reserved list, the general
had so much to occupy his mind that he was entirely
robbed of the time he used to spend over the Eng-
lish reader.

Yamaki sat down, and was looking around the
room curiously, when the sound of footsteps like
distant thunder was heard approaching, and a man
massive as a mountain came into the room and took
a seat at the further end. Yamaki rose up hurriedly
at the general's entrance, and, in so doing, he upset
his chair. With a word or two of surprise and
excuse, he raised it confusedly, and made three or
four courteous bows to the master. It is possible
that he was saluting and apologizing for his rude-
ness at the same time.

" Please take a seat. You are Yamaki-kun? I
knew your name, but — "

" I am very glad to make your acquaintance. I

[179]

j& ami fed

am Hyozo Yamaki," adding, as one might in wish-
ing to seem very humble, " and an awkward person."
He made a bow at the end of each phrase, and every
time he did so the chair creaked, as if it were
amusedly exclaiming, "That is right!"

A few informal words on unimportant topics and
some remarks on Korean questions, and then the
general formally asked Yamaki the object of his
call. Yamaki first cleared his throat, trying to
open his lips; he did so again and for the third
time before he could say a word. He wondered
how his fluent words should stick in his throat only
at that time.

At last Yamaki spoke.

" I was sent by the house of Kawashima on a
certain matter."

The general fixed his narrowed eyes on Yamaki,
as if in surprise.

"Well?"

" Widow Kawashima was to come herself, but
I was asked to call instead."

" I understand."

Yamaki mopped his brow, the sweat oozing out
in spite of him. " They wanted Viscountess Kato
[180]

Hecall

to speak for them," he continued, " but, as she was
unwilling, they sent me instead."

" I see, and what about ? "

" It is about this. I hesitate to say it, but
Madam Kawashima, your daughter — "

The general riveted his eyes on the speaker for
a while without winking.

"Well?"

" It is about the young viscountess. We hesitate
to say so, but we have been very anxious about her
illness, as you know, and, though she is now some-
what better, and we are very glad of it — "

" I see."

" We hate to tell you ourselves, as it presumes
too much on your kindness, but, as her illness is
of very doubtful nature, and as you know the \/
Kawashima family is small, and the present master,
Takeo-san, is the only man in the house, the widow
feels very anxious about him. We very much hesi-
tate to say, as it presumes too much on your kind-
ness, but the nature of her illness is such that,
if it should ever infect — why, in all probability,
it may not happen — but it is better to be on the
safe side, and if perchance Takeo-san, the mas-
ter of the house, be in danger, it will result in
the annihilation of the Kawashima line. Well,
[181]

such an annihiliation may not be of much account
nowadays, but anyhow — to tell the truth — I
loathe to say — but — as the nature of her illness
is such that — "

Yamaki faltered, and beads of sweat stood on
his brow, as he stumbled further and further into
his speech. The general, who had watched him in
silence, raised his right hand at this moment.

" All right ; I understand. In short, Kami's
disease is dangerous, so you want me to call her
back? All right. I understand."

He nodded, and, putting his close-burnt cigar
on the ash-tray, folded his arms.

Feeling as if he had been helped out of the mire,
Yamaki breathed freely and mopped his brow.

" You understand me rightly. It is very awk-
ward for me to say, but I pray you will not take
it amiss."

"And Takeo-san is back?"

" No, he isn't. But of course he knows all about
the matter. So I am sure you will not take it in
bad part."

" Very well."

The general nodded again, and remained for
awhile with his eyes shut and his arms folded.
Putting a good face on his comparatively easy sue-
[182]

Recall

cess, Yamaki looked up and saw the general clos-
ing his eyes and compressing his lips. Then he
felt that there was something awesome in the coun-
tenance of his host.

"Yamaki-kun!"

The general opened his eyes and studied the face
of Yamaki.

"Yes?" said Yamaki.

" You have children, I suppose ? " asked the
general.

Yamaki, being unable to guess the real import
of the question, but, making a bow : " Yes, sir, a
son and a daughter."

" Yamaki-kun, you know how dear a child is to
you?"

"Yes?"

" Very well, I will consent to the request. Please
tell Widow Kawashima to be at ease. Nami shall
be called back to-day. I am sorry to trouble you
in this matter."

Yamaki arose and bowed many times, presumably
being glad at having fulfilled his mission and in
part sorry for the trouble occasioned by his visit.

The general saw the caller to the porch, and,
returning, shut himself up in his study.

CHAPTER IX

€l)t ^ome^ Coming

si FTER the departure of Takeo, Nami was
C^Xjf very lonely, and the days hung heavily at
the villa of Zushi. But she somehow managed to
endure five weeks there, and at last the wheat had
been reaped, and the time for wild lilies arrived.
She lost heart over her condition for a time, but,
luckily, the doctor reassured her, and she soon re-
gained her courage. Comforted by a recent letter
from her husband at Hakodate, she did her best to
follow the doctor's instructions and to get well,
and waited impatiently for Takeo's return. Dur-
ing the last few days, however, all communication
with Tokyo had ceased, and no word had reached
her from her house at Bancho, from her parents,
or from her aunt in lidamachi.

She was now trying to arrange wild lilies in a
vase in order to kill time. Speaking to her maid,
who had just brought in some water, she said:
" Say, Iku, isn't it strange that no mail comes ? "

" I should say so," replied the old woman. " Per-
haps they are all well, and have nothing to write
[1*4]

(ZTljr F)0 me Coming;

us. But it will not be long before you hear, and
besides, some one may drop in this very morning.
How beautiful the flowers are! How I wish our
master would come back before they wither away ! "

Nami looked at the lilies in her hand, and said:
" Beautiful, indeed ! But better to have them stay
where they were, I think. It seems cruel to cut
them off like this."

At this moment, a kuruma was heard approach-
ing the gate of the villa. It was the Viscountess
Kato. She had felt uneasy the day after she re-
jected the request of Widow Kawashima, and, ac-
cordingly, she went to the house of Kataoka and
learned, to her great surprise, that a deputy of the
house of Kawashima had already been there, and
had gone back with the consent of the general.
She was very much annoyed that not only wras her
plan to wait for the return of Takeo frustrated,
but that the matter had gone so far beyond her
power. But, since there was no help, she at least
wanted to see her niece at Zushi, for Nami's father
feared the shock to her when she learned the news
so far from home, and bring her to her father's
house.

" Well, how glad I am to see you, dear aunt.
We've just been talking of you."
[185]

" Very glad to see you, Viscountess," said Iku,
and, turning to Nami, " Don't you see, madam,
that Iku was right ? "

" How do you feel, my dear Nami-san ? Nothing
serious since the last attack, I hope." But she was
unable to look straight into Nami's eyes.

" Nothing at all, thank you," said Nami. " I
am getting better. But how are you, dear aunt?
You do not look well."

" I ? Why, I've got a little headache ; perhaps
it's the weather. But have you heard from Takeo-
san lately? "

" Yes, he wrote me the day before yesterday
from Hakodate. He is coming back pretty soon.
No, the date is not fixed. He says he has some-
thing for me."

"Is that so?" said Madam Kato. "It's — t'
— late — now — Two o'clock, isn't it ? "

" Why are you in such a hurry ? " asked Nami.
" Make yourself quite at home. How is O-Chizu-
san?"

" Oh, she sent her love to you."

Saying this, her aunt took a cup of tea from
Iku, but she was so abstracted that she forgot to
drink it.

['86]

" Please make yourself at home," Iku begged.
" Madam, I'll get you some nice fish."

" Yes, please."

Her aunt started as if awakened, looked at
Nami's face for a moment, and then turned away
her eyes.

" No, don't. I have not time to-day. Nami-
san — you are to go with me."

"I am to go? Where?" Nami was surprised.

" Yes ; your father wants to see you about your
illness on the doctor's advice. Your mother at
Bancho — she also agrees."

"He wants to see me? What about?"

" About your illness, as I told you. And then
— your father has missed you so long — "

"Is that so?"

Nami wore a suspicious air, and so did Iku.

" But you will remain here this evening? " said
Iku.

" No, I can't. The doctor is waiting, you know,
and it's better to go before dark. We must start
by the next train."

"Indeed!"

Old Iku was surprised. Nami also could not
understand the situation. But it was her aunt who
brought the message, and it was her father who sent

for her, and besides, her mother-in-law knew of
the summons. At any rate, she hastened her prep-
aration without further questioning.

"What are you thinking about so much, aunt?
There is no need for nurse to go, as I shall soon
be back."

Her aunt, leaving her seat, and helping Nami
to dress, said : " Take her with you ; you will
need her."

By four o'clock, three kuruma were ready at
the gate. Presently they all came out. Nami put
on a light crape dress of silver gray, with a belt
of sky-blue satin, a white flower of cape jasmine in
her hair, and a tawny parasol in her right hand.
Covering her mouth with her handkerchief as she
coughed, she said:

" Well, Iku, I shall be gone for a while. Yes,
it's quite a long time since I left there. And then
that dress I have been making — just a little of it'
is still left. Well, all right. I'll do it myself when
I come back. It will certainly be ready before
his return."

Her aunt hid her face in the parasol, tears com-
ing into her eyes before she could check them.
[188]

There is a pit of fate silently awaiting our ap-
proach. We walk into it unconsciously and un-
avoidably. A cold feeling, however, of indescribable
fear will assail us as we draw near the spot.

Nami, who started home without much ques-
tioning on account of her trust in her aunt and
her joy at the prospect of meeting her father, felt
her heart throb no sooner than she was in the
kuruma. The more she thought over her situation,
the more she found herself at sea. She doubted
the truth of her aunt's words as to her unusual
look, and she was unable to clear her mind while
on the train. When she had arrived at Shinbashi
Station, her mind was so weighed with vague fore-
boding that she almost forgot the joy of returning
home after a long absence.

Nami alighted from the train, and, assisted by
her nurse, followed her aunt slowly at the end of
the crowd. As she passed the gate, a military
officer happened to be standing near by. He was
talking, and, turning toward Nami suddenly, he
exchanged a look with her. It was Chijiwa. Look-
ing at her intently, he uncovered his head purposely
and — smiled. That look and that smile sent a
strange tremor into her heart, and, pale as ashes,
Nami felt a disagreeable chill which did not come
[189]

from her illness, — a. chill which continued till long
after she drove off in the carriage.

Her aunt did not speak, and Nami also remained
silent. The evening sun that shone on the carriage
window went down, and they reached the house of
Kataoka in the dusky air, soft with the faint fra-
grance of chestnut blossoms. There were carts
and litters near the gate, and a lamp burning bright
at a side porch. Men were heard speaking inside,
and the whole scene suggested a removal. Wonder-
ing what these things meant, Nami alighted from
the carriage with the help of her aunt and nurse,
when Madam Kataoka appeared at the porch to
meet them, and said:

" Oh, so soon. I thank you for your trouble."

The eyes of Madam Kataoka glided from the
face of Nami to that of Madam Kato.

"How do you do, mother?" asked Nami.
"And — where's father?"

" He is in his study," Madam Kataoka answered,
briefly.

At this moment the merry voices of her younger
brother and sister were heard shouting Nami's
name, and, without heeding their mother's caution,
they rushed toward her. Koma also came out after
them.

[190]

" Oh, Mi-chan and Ki-chan, how are you? Oh,
here is Koma-chan."

Michi, hanging on a sleeve of her sister, said:

" I am so happy. You will always stay here with
us. Your things have all come."

No one dared to hush the young speaker, and
the gaze of her stepmother, aunt, Koma, and maids
were all focussed on the face of Nami.

"What?"

Nami was astonished, and shifted her eyes from
the face of her stepmother, over that of her aunt,
to the things piled up in a room by the porch.
There was no mistaking that they were her toilet-
stand, cabinets, and dress-boxes, all of which had
been left at her house.

Nami trembled all over, and, staggering, gripped
firmly her aunt's hand.

All wept.

Heavy footsteps being heard, her father now
appeared on the scene.

"Oh, father!"

" My dear child, how I have longed to see you."

The general clasped Nami's little shivering body
into his broad breast.

A half-hour passed, and silence reigned in the
house. In the general's study were two persons,

— father and child. They were in the same posi-
tion as on the day she left that house never to re-
turn, Nami listening to the last teaching of her
father, — the child kneeling and weeping on the
knees of her father, and the father caressing gently
his sobbing daughter.

[192]

CHAPTER X

Cafeeo ana

TTTXTRA! Extra! Extra on the Korean prob-
M J lem ! " Thus shouting, a newsboy went by
ringing an alarm-bell. And after him, a kuruma
was seen drawing up at the gate of the house of
Kawashima at Bancho. Takeo had returned home.
The widow knew that Takeo would be angry
when he learned what had been done during his
absence, but he wins who thrusts his sword first,
and, on the very day Yamaki had brought her the
good news, she at once sent back to the house of
Kataoka everything that belonged to Nami. She
thought it a little cruel, but as nothing short of
imperative measures would suffice, she was satisfied
with the steps she had taken, and was in good spirits
for two or three days thereafter. On the other
hand, the servants, naturally siding with the young
couple, held their breath at the ruthless act of the
widow, and expected a scene on Takeo's return.
And, in the midst of the situation, Takeo came
back. The letter Madam Kato sent hurriedly to
inform Takeo of what had happened crossed him on

[193]

the way, and of course his mother did not mention
the subject to him in her letter. So he remained
totally ignorant of his real position, and took the
first opportunity to come home on reaching Yoko-
sura Naval Station.

A chambermaid, who came from the direction
of the sitting-room, beckoned to a maid who was
making tea, and said : " Say, Mat-chan, our mas-
ter does not seem to know anything about the
matter. He even brought home something for his
wife."

" Indeed ! " exclaimed Matsu. " Where on earth
can you find another mother who would divorce
her son's wife during his absence? But wait and
see how angry he will get. She is an old devil ! "

" So she is," said the chambermaid. " I have
never seen such a cross, stingy, and unreasonable
woman. She scolds us, but she doesn't know any-
thing herself. The truth is that she was only the
daughter of a poor farmer in Satsuma. I hate to
stay in such a place."

" But isn't our master rather slow in finding
out that his own wife is divorced ? "

"Why, no, that couldn't be helped," continued
the chambermaid. " He was far away, you know.
No one would expect that a mother would drive
[194]

Cafceo anU |)tg

her son's wife away without consulting him, as if
she were a mere servant. And then he is still
young, you know. I feel sorry for him, but still
more for his wife. How is she feeling, I wonder
— ugh! There, the old woman has begun to roar.
Mat-chan, if you don't mind your business, you will
be scolded."

In an inner room, the voices of the widow and
her son were heard growing louder and louder.

" But you promised me to wait till my return,"
expostulated Takeo. " And you did not even write
me, and have done this on your own responsibility.
I cannot bear it. I stopped at Zushi on my way
here, and, as I did not find Nami, I asked Iku about
her. She said that Nami had come to Tokyo
on some business. I felt queer about it, but I
never dreamed that you — This is too much
for me."

" Well, I was wrong," the widow was heard to
say, " and I apologize. I didn't dislike Nami at
all, but because I love you — "

" You are always thinking of me, but have no
regard for honor, reputation, or human feelings."

" Takeo, you are a man and not a woman, I
suppose? You still think of Nami, despite your
mother's humiliating herself?"
[195]

" But what you have done is more than I can
stand," said Takeo.

" Nevertheless, it is too late now. They have
agreed, and the matter is settled once for all. What
can you now do against it? I tell you, if you do
anything foolish, it will bring shame not only to
your mother but to yourself."

Takeo, who was listening silently, bit his lip an-
grily. He rose suddenly and crashed to pieces a
basket of choice apples brought for his sick wife.
He said:

" Mother, you have killed Nami and me, too.
I will never see you again."

Takeo went back at once to his war-vessel at
Yokosura.

The Korean problem drawing near to a crisis,
the Japanese government declared war against China
about the middle of July. And on the eighteenth
of the same month, Vice-Admiral Kabayama was
made Chief of the Ordnance Bureau, and the Matsu-
shima, flag-vessel to the combined fleets, on board
of which was Takeo, was ordered to meet the other
vessels at Saseho. Preferring to be a target for a
shell rather than to preserve his useless life, Takeo
immediately left on duty for the West.
[196]

Cafceo ana Ibta

General Kataoka at once built a cozy house for
Nami in a quiet, sunny nook of his spacious estate,
and, calling old Iku from Zushi, directed her
to live there with his daughter. In September
he was restored to duty, and, after entrusting Nami
most tenderly to the care of his wife, he went down
on the thirteenth of the month to the military
headquarters at Hiroshima, in the imperial suite,
and the next month sailed for the Liaotong Penin-
sula with General Oyama, Yamaji, and others.

All the passion and conflict in the minds of those
whom we have followed thus far were for a while
carried away in the great national agitation over
the China- Japan War.

'Boofc

CHAPTER I

Battle off galu

/T was five o'clock in the afternoon of the six-
teenth of September, 1894, when our combined
squadrons, ready for action, steamed out of the
mouth of the River Tai-dong toward the north-
west. They went in search of the enemy's fleet,
reported to have been seen near the River Yalu,
protecting Chinese transports, and intended to en-
gage in a decisive battle.

With the Yoshino as flag-ship, the First Flying
Squadron, consisting of the Takashiho, the Naniwa,
and the Akitsushima, sailed first. Then followed
the Main Squadron of the Chiyoda, Itsukushima,
Hashidate, Hiyei, and Fuso, with the Matsushima
as flag-ship. Next came the gunboat Akagi, and the
armored merchant- vessel Saikyo-maru, with the
Chief of the Ordnance Bureau on board, who, it
was said, wanted to see an engagement. The twelve
vessels, in one long line, left the port that after-
noon, and, ploughing the waves of the Yellow Sea,
moved on like a huge sea-serpent. After a while
the sun sank into the sea, and the full moon rose in

[201]

the east, the ships riding on golden and silvery
wavelets, and drifting in the clear moonlight.

In the gun-room of the Matsushima, supper was
over, and, though the officers on duty had left long
ago, still a few lads remained and were engaged in
a lively talk. The stern windows being tightly
closed, so as not to let light escape, the room was
warm, and the red faces of the full-blooded youths
were deeply flushed. On a table were some cups
and saucers and a plate of cakes, which had been
done justice to, — all but one last slice, waiting
its sad doom at the hands of some future admiral.

" The army may have already captured Phyong-
yang," said a small spirited ensign, as he looked
around at his fellow officers, resting his cheek on his
arm. " But how about the navy ? Look at these
idle hours ! "

A well-fed assistant paymaster smilingly re-
marked from his corner : " Don't you know that
the play will be over no sooner than the curtain
is raised? It's fun to have a long intermission."

" Oh, away with such idle talk. I am tired of
playing blind-man's-buff with the Pei-yang. If we
miss them again this time, I can't rest till we force
our way into the Gulf of Pechili, and visit the Fort
of Taku with a shell."

[202]

battle off palu Kitoet

A certain cadet questioned him earnestly:

" That is the same thing as to enter into a bag.
What will you do if you are blockaded ? "

"What? Blockaded? I wish we were. But
I'm sorry to say they are not active enough to
blockade us. I don't mean to discourage you, but
it seems to me that our intended encounter this time
will rather miscarry. I don't know what to do
with the everlasting slowness of the Chinese."

At this moment, footsteps were heard, and a tall
ensign appeared at the doorway.

The small ensign turned around. " Hullo, nav-
igating officer ! What news ? Anything in sight ? "

" Only the moon. You'd better go to bed and
get a good rest as soon as the roll is called." Eat-
ing the piece of cake left on the plate, he continued :
" Stay a little while — on deck — and you will get
awfully hungry. Bring some more cake, boy."

Another ensign, with a red shirt on, smiled and
wondered at his appetite. The tall ensign remarked,
in reply: " How about you, my dear friend? Isn't
it our privilege, heroes of the gun-room, to eat
cakes and look down upon the veterans? But say,
fellow, don't you know that the marines could not
sleep for joy to-morrow? If we blunder to-morrow,
it will not be the fault of the marines, but of — "
[203]

" Oh, we have no doubt of our courage," asserted
a mate, the oldest one of the group. " What we
desire is nothing but nerve. Beware of rashness."

" Speaking of that, I was surprised at the sub-
captain of No. corps," remarked another of

the group. " Such industry ! But, though we make
light of our lives, he goes too far in remarking that
he is selling his life at a bargain ! "

" Oh, you mean Kawashima ? Yes, I remember
once — oh, it was at the demonstration off Wei-
hai-wei that he performed such a dangerous feat.
If you made him commander-in-chief, he might,
perhaps, like Number Three, lead our fleet into
the Gulf of Pechili, and, not satisfied with Taku,
would send them up the Pei-ho, and try to capture
old Li-Hung Chang."

" And then he is quite changed. He gets angry
at nothing. Once I joked him about the Baroness
Kawashima, when he turned black, and was about
to knock me down. I am more afraid of his blow
than of a 3O-centimetre shell from the Ting-yuen.
I suspect something has happened to him. Say,
Garibaldi, you are his great friend, and you know
the secret." The navigating officer looked into the
face of the man with a red shirt, nicknamed Gari-
baldi.

[204]

battle off Paltt Utucr

At this moment, the boy brought in a. plateful of
cakes, and the idle gun-room talk ended.

At ten in the evening, the roll was called. Those
on duty reported at their respective quarters, and
the rest went to bed. Loud talking and kindling of
fire were prohibited ; the upper and lower decks were
silent as if deserted. Except the solitary command-
ing voice of the chief navigating officer, only the
sound of the screw and the ceaseless beating of the
engine, like that of an enormous heart, were heard,
while the silent smoke from the funnels was drift-
ing white in the moon.

On the forward bridge, two human shadows
were seen. One remained standing at the left end
of the bridge, and the other was walking noiselessly
to and fro.

The latter was Takeo Kawashima. He was the

sub-captain of No. corps, and, with the chief

navigating officer, was keeping his four hours' watch
on the bridge.

He now reached the right end. He raised his
glass and looked far around him. Seeing nothing,
he lowered his right hand, and stood with his left
hand on the rail. Two officers, talking in low tones,
came from the front gun, and, passing under the
[205]

l^ami-feo

bridge, disappeared into the shadow. Everything
was quiet on the deck, the wind growing chill and
the moon shedding her crystal light.

Stretching beyond the dark figures of the watch-
ers on the prow, nothing was visible but the white
waters of the Yellow Sea, except the faint shadow
of a rocky island on the port side, and the still
fainter body of the Akitsushima ahead. The au-
tumn sky high above the mainmast, toward which
the sparks from the funnels now hurried forth and
vanished, was studded with scattered stars, and the
milky way, shorn of its lustre, stretched pale from
sea to sea.

Three months had passed since Takeo left his
mother in anger.

But what changes he had lived through during
those days! First, his mind had been stirred up
by the threatening Korean problem, and then, on
the Bay of Saseho, his heart had been wrung by
the sad strains of farewell music. The declaration
of war had almost doubled his courage, and the
bombardment of Wei-hai-wei had given him for the
first time a baptism of fire. Things wonderful to
his mind and eyes followed one after another, and
did not allow him time even to stop to think. So
[206]

Battle of! galtt Bttoer

much the better for him; for he was thereby able
to avoid dwelling upon the one thing that con-
sumed his soul. In his country's hour of trial, his
private affairs, though they were a question of life
or death to him, were lost sight of. Thus he
thought, and, burying his grief, followed his duty,
and with all his desperate courage engaged in bat-
tle. To him, indeed, death was of no more value
than a particle of dust.

But whenever there came a peaceful evening on
the bridge, or a sleepless night in his hammock,
he was at the mercy of his unbearable feelings.
Time went by. And now the intensity of the pas-
sion before which everything had given way was
dulled, and his anger, hardened as it were, secretly
consumed his soul. His mother wrote him twice,
and hoped for his safe return. Moody as he was,
he thought how lonely his old mother was, and,
apologizing for his rashness, wished her well. But
his feeling toward her could never be changed.
It was sunk deep in his breast, and night after night
he saw, through his dream over the destruction
of the Pei-yang Squadron and his death in the
battle, the face of the sick girl wrapped in a snow-
white shawl.

Three months passed with no news about her.
[207]

Jftami-feo

Was she still living? No? Yes, she was. As
never a day passed without thinking of her, so it
must be with her, too. Did they not pledge to
live and die together?

Takeo thought this. And he thought again of
the time he had seen her last. Ah, where was she
who, on that dim evening at Zushi, cried after him
to come back soon, as she stood at the gate to see
him off? Pensively he looked up when he felt as
if a slender form in a white shawl were about to
step out of the clear moon.

Perhaps to-morrow the fleet would meet the en-
emy. And, if he should be killed by a shell, his
life would be but a dream. He thought of it, and
then of his mother, who would be left behind him.
He thought also of his dead father, and of the days
he spent at Yedajima. And again his mind would
turn to Nami-san.

"Kawashima!"

Takeo hurriedly turned around at a slap on his
shoulder. It was the chief navigating officer.

" How beautiful the night is! We can hardly
believe that we are going to war."

Nodding assent, Takeo brushed aside his tears,
and raised his glass. The moon was white, and
[208]

Battle off pain EtHer

nothing was visible but the vast expanse of the
water.

The moon had set and the sky was turning pur-
ple. The seventeenth of September was dawning
on the Yellow Sea. It was about six in the morn-
ing, and the fleet was already near Haiyang Island.
The gunboat Akagi had been ordered to reconnoitre
the inlets of the island, but to no purpose. The
fleet sailed along and was soon off Takooshan, with
Talu and Seolu Islands on the port side.

It was eleven o'clock. Takeo at that moment
left the wardroom, and was about to step on deck
when a voice was heard crying, " Smoke ! "

At the same time, hurried footsteps were heard
on deck. With his heart beating furiously, Takeo
stopped on the stair. A seaman who happened to
pass below also stopped and exchanged a look with
him.

" Is the enemy in sight? "

" It seems so."

Springing excitedly on deck, Takeo found men
running right and left, whistles shrieking, and a
signal-flag being hoisted on the mast. At the bow,
marines stood in groups, and on the bridge the
commander, vice-commander, and other officers all
gazed intently in one direction. Far away on the
[209]

horizon black streaks of smoke could be counted,
— one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,
nine, and ten.

It was the enemy's fleet. An officer on the bridge
looked at his watch, and said : " An hour and a
half more. If things are ready, we can have a good
dinner before we get to work."

Another, in the middle of the group, nodded.
" They are keeping us waiting, but, friends, make
the most of your time." As he said this, he twisted
his mustache.

Presently the imperial naval flag was hoisted
high on the mainmast, and the sound of the bugle
from the bridge was heard all over the ship. Men
rushed to their respective quarters, and those who
were going to climb to the maintop, to descend to
the engine-room, to enter the torpedo-room, or to
attend to the sickroom, went to right and left,
upon the bridge and toward the stern. In an in-
stant, preparations were complete, and they were
ready for action. It was near noon, and luncheon
was ordered before the fight.

Takeo had been helping the captain, who was
directing the gunners about the starboard quick-
firing guns. He, therefore, entered the gun-room a
little late, and found his messmates already at the
[210]

battle off Palu Etber

table. The short ensign looked earnest, and the
mate mopped his forehead as he bent over the plate.
Young cadets stole looks at their comrades as they
now and then gave orders. Presently one of them
rose noisily from his seat. It was the red-shirted
ensign.

" Comrades, I love to see that your spirit is daunt-
less, and that you can sit down to a hearty meal
in the face of the enemy. But I doubt very much
if we shall all meet at mess this evening. Let us
therefore shake hands, and say farewell to one an-
other."

Thereupon he clasped the hand of Takeo, who
was next to him, and shook it. At the same time
the others all rose and clasped each other's hands,
two or three plates being thrown off the table in the
commotion. One ensign, with a scar on his left
cheek, took the hand of the surgeon.

" When we are wounded, you must handle us
gently. This is to bribe you." And he shook the
surgeon's hand four or five times.

All laughed, but presently they became serious.
One after another they went out, leaving the room
with its piles of empty dishes.

At twenty minutes past twelve, Takeo was or-
dered by the captain of his corps to go up on the

[211]

Jftami fed

front bridge to see the vice-commander. From that
point of vantage, he saw that the fleet was already
disposed in single column: the four cruisers of the
First Flying Squadron going first, about four thou-
sand metres apart, the six vessels of the Main
Squadron, with the Matsushima at the head, com-
ing next, and the Akagi and Saikyo-maru following
them on the left and under cover. The flag on the
mainmast was fluttering bravely to the wind, the
funnels were sending forth a volume of black
smoke, and the white waves at the bow were rising
high in foam. The officers on the bridge, some
with marine-glasses at their eyes, and some with
hands on swords, were breasting the wind.

Away to the north, the ten streaks of smoke, first
seen close to the horizon, gradually grew, and the
enemy's fleet seemed to be springing out of the
water. Masts, funnels, and hulls burst into view,
and even the flags at the mastheads were now vis-
ible. The two huge ironclads, Ting-yuen and Chen-
yuen, took the centre position; the King-yuen,
Chih-yuen, Wei-yuen, and Tsi-yuen formed the left
wing; and the Lai-yuen, Ching-yuen, Chao-yuen,
and Yang-wei the right wing. And to the west
four more battle-ships, with six torpedo-boats were
seen.

[212]

battle off Pain HiDcr

The Japanese squadrons advanced in single col-
umn toward the centre of the enemy, approaching
them in like fashion; but, when about ten thou-
sand metres away, the Flying Squadron veered to
the left to attack the enemy's right. The rest of
the fleet also went to port. The battle lines changed
at once from a T to a V shape, and in this position
they approached until they were within a distance
of six thousand metres. At this moment, white
smoke was seen rising at the prow of the Chen-yuen,
and two 3O-centimetre shells shrieked in the air
and fell into the sea on the port side of the Flying
Squadron. The water of the Yellow Sea rose in
clouds.

The Yellow Sea, whose water had been silvery
in the moonlight the evening before, and had only
this morning reflected in its calm surface the fleecy
clouds, the blue islands, and peaceful birds, — the
Yellow Sea was now the scene of a dreadful battle.

Takeo returned from the bridge to his quick-
firing gun. The captain was busy with his glass,
and the gunners had stripped off their jackets and
were baring their brown sinewy arms up to the
elbow. They all waited silently for orders. At
this time, the Flying Squadron, pouring fire into
the right wing of the enemy, was about to pass it,

I21 3l

JSamUfeo

and the Matsushima, at the head of the Main
Squadron, was nearing it at full speed. The enemy
now formed their battle-line into a wedge, with
the Chen-yuen and Ting-yuen at the apex. As they
closed in on each other, the two great battle-ships
became clearly visible to the unaided eye. All at
once, Takeo remembered them as he had seen them
at Yokohama harbor some years before, and he
watched them with renewed interest. To be sure,
the ships were the same. But, seeing them now
as they vomited forth black smoke, churned white
waves into fury, belched forth fire from their guns,
and approached threateningly, he felt an irrepres-
sible aversion, unmingled with fear, as if they were
a terrible beast in his way.

Suddenly a sound as of thunder was heard in the
distance, and something boomed through the air
close to the mainmast of the Matsushima. Falling
into the sea, it threw the water some twenty feet
into the air. Takeo felt a chill run through his
body, but he soon recovered himself. He noticed
also that a row of his men wavered a little, but
they soon regained their courage. The ship con-
tinued on its way. Three, four, five shells burst,
one striking a boat on the port side, and the rest
deluging the ship with water.

Battle off galtt Eiber

" Captain, must we hold our fire? " asked Takeo,
impatiently. It was a few minutes past one. The
order of " four thousand metres " was passed along
the starboard line, the angle was adjusted, and
the cords were grasped. The long-expected bugle
was heard. With the order of " Fire ! " the Mat-
sushima poured forth a broadside. The vessel
shook, and a thick volume of smoke rose along the
starboard side. Just then, as if in reply, a huge
shell from the enemy grazed the funnel and dropped
into the sea. Two or three of the gunners ducked
their heads involuntarily.

The captain turned around and said : " Who
is it? Who made that bow?"

Takeo, the cadets, and gunners all laughed.

"Fire! Be steady! Fire!"

All the starboard guns were fired in succession.
The big 32-centimetre gun also roared, shaking the
ship. The vessels behind now joined the fire. Sud-
denly a shot from the enemy exploded near the
gun, and one of the gunners who was carrying a
shell fell down behind Takeo. He tried to rise
and fell again ; the blood gushed forth upon Takeo's
uniform. Most of the gunners looked around.

"Who is it?" asked one of them.

"Isn't it Nishiyama? It's he!" said another.
[215]

"Killed?" asked a third.

"Fire!" roared the captain, and the gunners
crowded to the gun.

Takeo hurriedly ordered the men to take the
corpse away, and turned to his post, when the cap-
tain observed his uniform.

" Kawashima, are you wounded ? "

" Oh, no. This is only a splash."

"Well, let's avenge the dead."

The guns were fired incessantly, and the ship
steamed at full speed. The Main Squadron now
swept in a great arc past the right wing to the
rear of the enemy. The first encounter being ended,
the second was about to begin. The starboard guns
of the Matsushima were silent for the moment,
and the officers and gunners mopped their faces.

The Japanese vessels were thus arrayed. The
Flying Squadron, having concentrated its attack
on the right wing of the enemy, and having crip-
pled the Yang-wei and Chao-yung, was about to
follow the Main Squadron after circling once, in
order to attack the enemy from the rear. The
Htyeij fifth vessel of the Main Squadron, delayed
by its low speed, was in danger of being rammed,
and, wanting to shorten the distance which sep-
arated her from the rest, boldly resolved to pass
[216]

•Battle off Pain Lltucr

through the Chinese line. She succeeded, but was
retired from action on account of the severe fire.
The Saikyo-maru was also out of danger. Only the
Akagi, a small vessel of 600 tons, was left to face
the enemy, and she was desperately fighting her way
to join the Hiyei. The four vessels of the Flying
Squadron and the five of the Main held the line
in undisturbed order.

On the enemy's side, the Chao-yung was on fire, \s
the Yang-wei was disabled, and the right wing was
in bad order. The three vessels on the left wing
also got out of line in order to pursue the Hiyei and
Akagi, while the torpedo-boats were separated and
far off to one side. Several vessels, with the Chen-
yuen and Ting-yuen at the head, turned their prows
as they saw the Japanese at their rear, and tried
in column to attack the Main Squadron.

The second encounter now began. The Saikyo-
maru having signalled that the Akagi and Hiyei
were in danger, the fastest vessels of the Flying
Squadron were ordered to the rescue. The Main
Squadron, however, in a single column described
a great arc, with the enemy at its centre, and poured
forth its artillery.

At half-past two, they had circled round the
enemy's fleet, and had reached the other side. Then
[217]

the Flying Squadron, having driven into the en-
emy's line, the three vessels that pressed on the
Hiyei and Akagi began to attack from the other
side. Thus the Japanese squadrons had the enemy
between them. The third and fiercest encounter of
the whole battle was about to ensue.

The two fleets, Japanese and Chinese, on which
were centred the naval forces of each nation, steamed
side by side, and were engaged in deadly battle.
Like two monstrous serpents surrounding a huge
whale, the water of the Yellow Sea seethed and
foamed about them.

The Main Squadron from the right, and the
Flying Squadron from the left, pressed on the
enemy in opposite directions, and the battle was
raging furiously. The fiercer the battle became,
the further Takeo forgot himself. He remembered
well that he forgot everything at school in the heat
of a baseball game, and that he felt as if something
from above urged him on. And now he experienced
a similar feeling. Except when the ship separated
from the enemy's fleet, and again closed in, or when
she turned around and faced to port and conse-
quently left the starboard guns unused, Takeo was
constantly occupied, and his voice became hoarse at
[218]

battle off palu Eitoer

giving incessant orders. But he felt nothing. The
enemy's shells burst upon the Matsushima until
her iron shields were split, her wood-work scorched,
and her decks smeared with blood. But Takeo
felt nothing. The sound of the enemy's guns kept
time with the beating of his heart, and a short lull
in the conflict even made him uneasy. His men also
minded nothing of exploding shells, and loaded the
gun, adjusted the angle, pulled the cord, and again
loaded with the exactness of target practice and
the earnestness of real fighting. A fire was ex-
tinguished no sooner than it broke out, shells were
supplied without waiting an order, and the dead
and wounded were removed in a moment. The
whole fighting mechanism operated as quickly and
smoothly as possible.

The scene at this moment was confusion itself.
The grayish smoke covered the sea and sky, and
from among its curling sheets, unexpected flags
and masts were dimly visible. The thundering
noise rent the skies second by second; the shells
sometimes crashed and exploded in the air, and the
sea incessantly rose in columns of seething spray.
All at once the captain shouted:
"Look! The Ting-yuen is on fire!"
Through a break in the smoke, the prow of the
[219]

Jftamt ko

enemy's flag-ship, which bore a dragon flag, was
seen enveloped in yellow smoke, and her crew,
like so many ants, hurried about in confusion.

Takeo and his men cheered.

" Come on ; finish her up ! "

With increased strength, the guns were fired
anew.

Attacked from both sides, the enemy's fleet was
now thrown into disorder. The Chao-yung had
already sunk under fire, and the Yang-wei escaped
disabled. The Chih-yuen was about to sink, the
Ting-yuen was on fire, and the Lai-yuen also caught
fire. The fleet could no longer hold together, and,
leaving the Ting-yuen and Chen-yuen, the rest fled
in several directions. The Flying Squadron at
once started to give them chase, and the Main
Squadron directed its fire on the Ting-yuen and
Chen-yuen.

The fourth encounter was imminent.

It was three in the afternoon. The fire on the
Ting-yuen spread, but she remained there. The
Chen-yuen bravely stood by her, and the two large
massive hills of iron confronted the Japanese ves-
sels. But, as the light-mounted Saracens rode
around the Crusaders, and shot in vain on their
double-coated armors, so the Japanese shells re-
[220]

Battle off paltt Bttoer

bounded from the fourteen-inch armor-belts, and
exploded in the air. At about half-past three, the
Matsushima was opposite the enemy's flag-ship.
When Takeo saw that the shots from his quick-
firing gun struck her side, rebounded and exploded,
like fireworks, to no purpose, he was enraged. Bit-
ing his lips and grasping the handle of his sword,
he exclaimed:

"Captain, it's damnable! Look — look there!
The devil!"

The captain, with bloodshot eyes, stamped about
the deck. " Fire! Aim at her deck! Her deck! "

" Fire ! " roared Takeo.

The maddened gunners sent their shots furiously
to the mark.

"One more!" shouted Takeo, when a terrible
noise shook the whole vessel, as if a volcano had
burst suddenly upon them. At the same time, some-
thing like scattered drops of rain hit him and threw
him to the deck.

The two 3O-centimetre shells from the enemy
had struck the quick-firing gun and exploded.

" God! " ejaculated Takeo, as he sprang up, and

then sank to the deck. He felt a terrible pain in

the lower half of his body. He looked around as

he fell. The place was covered with blood, fire,

[221]

JQamt fea

and human flesh. The captain was not there. The
gun-shield looked like a cave in which something
blue was seen moving. It was the sea.

Oppressed with pain and the indescribable smell,
Takeo shut his eyes. He could only hear the ago-
nizing moan of the wounded, the cracking of burn-
ing wood, the cries of " Fire ! Fire ! Ready with
pumps!" and at the same time footsteps hurrying
toward him.

Suddenly Takeo felt that strong hands were
lifting him. As they touched his legs, the intense
pain shot up to his brain, and, with a cry, he fell
back. A crimson vapor seemed to wreathe before
his closed eyes, and in a moment he was insensible.

[222]

CHAPTER II

Cime of

the middle of October, the First Division
d already started for the Regent's Sword
from the military headquarters at Hiroshima, but
the soldiers of the Second Division soon began to
pour into the town. As a special Diet had been
summoned, the six hundred members also helped to
swell the multitude. The streets everywhere re-
sounded with the clatter of troops, the jingling of
swords, and the rolling of kuruma.

Along the main street of the town, pieces of board,
with "H. I. H. the Chief of General Staff,"
" Prime Minister Ito," " Lieutenant-General Ka-
wakami," and similar names on them, were posted
to indicate their lodgings. Farther down the street,
almost every house was docketed with number and
capacity of rooms, and those houses already occu-
pied by soldiers who could not find room in the
barracks were marked with the names of officers,
number of men, and their company. Here and
there new offices of private companies were alive
with business, while, in the big stores, the packing

[223]

Jftamt fco

of provisions was throwing everything into con-
fusion. Through all this disturbance, a general
on horseback hastened towards the headquarters;
after him a newspaper reporter hurried his kuruma
to the telegraph-office; and then somebody from
the direction of the railway station, with a valise
and a sword wrapped in yellow cloth, crossed the
way in company with a man whose face was sun-
burnt and who was dressed in a worn-out summer
suit. The latter appeared to have just landed at
Ujina from the seat of war. Directly after them
a Minister of State, whose face was familiar to
newspaper readers, drove along thoughtfully, mak-
ing a peculiar contrast with a coolie, who was loiter-
ing and humming a tune. The town, however,
heard during such a commotion two sorts of music,
the war-song of the northern soldiers with a pecul-
iar twang, and the sweet tune of " Hiroshima,"
sung by gay maidens.

Upon the main street stood a house over whose
front a large sign-board, bearing in large characters
the words, " Supply Merchants to the Army," was
displayed with two or three others. Piles of cheap
blankets, heavy coats, and such things filled the
space before the house, where some half a dozen men
were engaged busily in packing them. Just then
[224]

Cime of

a middle-aged man, with a somewhat bald forehead
and a large red mole under his left eye, came to
the door with a visitor. He stopped to say a few
words to the clerk who was directing the men,
and was about to go in when he observed a kuruma
going up the street. Instantly he recognized the
man in it and cried:

" Tazaki-san ! Tazaki-san ! "

The kuruma passed on without paying any atten-
tion to the call, but was soon brought back by a lad
who hurried after it. The man in it seemed to
be past fifty, with a reddish dark complexion and a
gray beard. He had on a dark " haori " of com-
mon material, and a hat which seemed to have seen
long service. He looked somewhat disconcerted at
being called back, but immediately recognized the
man at the entrance, and asked, in a surprised
tone:

"Why, it's Yamaki-san, isn't it?"

" How do you do, Tazaki-san ? When did you
arrive? "

" I am just going back by the next train." Say-
ing this, Tazaki alighted from his kuruma, and
walked to the entrance over the straw and ropes
scattered along the way.

" Going back ? But where have you been ? "
[225]

JftamMto

" To Saseho. I stayed there a few days, and am
now on my way home."

" Saseho ? Oh, to visit Takeo-san ? "

" Yes."

" Indeed," Yamaki went on, " and you pass me
by without so much as looking in on me. I am
surprised at my daughter and the old baroness, too.
They never wrote me a word about you."

" Oh, I've been in a great hurry."

" But, then," continued Yamaki, " it would not
have been much trouble just to drop in. Well,
come in now at any rate. Send back your kuruma.
You must, for I have got to talk with you. You
can take the second train back, can't you? How
is Takeo-san? I heard he was in the Naval Hos-
pital at Saseho, and I wanted to visit him. But
at that time the First Division was going to start,
and I was extremely busy, and could only send
him a letter of condolence. Oh, was it? The
bone was not injured? His thigh, was it? Well,
I am very glad to hear he is getting better. His
mother will be relieved, I am sure."

Tazaki looked at his watch, and immediately
arose. Yamaki stopped him and said:

" Oh, don't hurry so fast. I have something
for the baroness, which I wish you to take with you.
[226]

®ime of

Go back by the night train, won't you? You'll
have plenty of time for that. I'll finish my business
up, and then we'll go somewhere and have a talk
over our sake. The fish here is especially fine."

The evening sun was low on the River Amayasu,
and its glow fell on the paper screen of a tea-house
by the water. The second floor of the house was
now occupied by a noisy crowd from the Diet,
assembled for some social purpose, while, in a small
room down-stairs, Yamaki and Tazaki were so bus-
ily engaged in a quiet talk over their sake that
they even compelled the waitress to keep her dis-
tance.

Tazaki had been steward to the house of Kawa-
shima from the time of Takeo's father. He still
served in that capacity, attending to his duty daily
from his house near by. He was not an especially
clever fellow, but he scorned to fill his purse with
a part of his master's income. And so he was much
trusted by the widow and Takeo, and had been
sent upon this errand to visit his wounded master
at Saseho.

Yamaki put down his cup of sake, and, with
his hand on his forehead, said : " The fact is, I
stayed in Tokyo only one day, and had to return
[227]

immediately to Hiroshima, and so had no chance
to hear the news. Then it seems that Nami-ko-
san was very ill ? Well, it was a cruel deed. But,
at any rate, it had to be done for the good of the
house of Kawashima. Oh, is that so? She is bet-
ter now, and again at Zushi? But you can't tell
anything about that disease. It's generally fatal,
you know. How about Takeo-san? Is he still
angry ? "

Tazaki uncovered the bowl of fish soup, from
which the smell of mushrooms arose, and took a
sip of the tempting liquid as he said : " Well, that
is the difficult point. The widow did everything
for the good of the house, and that may be easily
forgiven. But, Yamaki-san, don't you think she
exceeded her mother's right a little in taking ad-
vantage of our master's absence, and divorcing her
without his consent? Of course I advised her to
wait till his return, but you know her temper. She
can't wait for anything, if she once sets her heart
on it. And so this was the consequence. I rather
sympathize with our master in his anger. But I
had a great deal of trouble with Chijiwa. I hear
that he is now in China ? "

Yamaki looked at the face of his companion.

"Chijiwa! Yes, he went over the other day.
[228]

at

But I had a great deal of trouble with him, too.
I had to pay a heavy price for our mere acquaint-
ance. He was bold enough to ask me to give him
a parting present, explaining that, in case of his
death, it might serve as the customary obituary
gift. If he survived, he would come back with the
order of the Golden Kite, he said. And in this way
he squeezed out of me about a hundred yen. But
Takeo-san, — he will go back to Tokyo as soon
as he gets well, won't he?"

" Oh, no. He intends to go to war again."
" Well, I admire his pluck, anyway. But, Ta-
zaki-san, don't you think he ought to go home and
be reconciled to his mother? I don't know how
much he liked Nami-ko-san, but now that the mar-
riage tie is broken, and she is suffering from such
a fatal disease, he could not, I think, very well
renew the relation. There is really no way but
to overlook the past, and heal the breach between
them. What do you think, Tazaki-san ? "

Tazaki replied rather thoughtfully : " Our mas-
ter has such a good disposition that, though his
mother was wrong, he seems to think that he did
not behave right himself. My visit this time, how-
ever, was at the wish of the baroness, so there is
no need to talk about a reconciliation. But — "
[229]

" It hardly seems the proper thing to talk about
an engagement during the war," Yamaki began,
" but it seems best for him to take a second wife.
How is it, Tazaki-san? Couldn't he forget Nami-
ko-san, and at the same time make peace with his
mother? A young man is apt to think a great deal
of his first love, but, when he meets another, he
easily falls into love with her."

" Well, the baroness is thinking of that, too.
But — "

"You say it would be difficult?"

" He is so strong-willed, you know."

" But it is for the good of his house and himself,
too, you see."

The talk was dropped for a moment. Up-stairs,
some one appeared to have finished his speech, for
thunders of applause were resounding. The evening
light on the screen was softened, and the sound
of the trumpets at the barracks seemed far away.

Yamaki dipped his sake cup into a water-basin
and passed it to Tazaki.

" Tazaki-san, how about my daughter who is
at Kawashima? She is so slow that she might not
easily get into the favor of the baroness."

About a month after Nami had been divorced,
Yamaki had sent his daughter Toyo to the house

[230]

Cirae of

of Kawashima to be trained by the widow according
to his plan. And he was now very anxious to hear
about her.

But Tazaki smiled. He must have recalled
something funny.

When Takeo left his house in anger, his mother
cast a wrathful look as he turned from her, and
said:

" You are a disobedient son ! Leave me in-
stantly! "

The widow knew that Takeo had always been a
good child, and that he had never hesitated to com-
ply with her most exacting demands. And so,
though she also knew that he loved Nami greatly,
she believed firmly that, in case his love for his
wife and his duty to his parents should conflict,
he would, of course, prefer the latter. Believing
this, — though she really thought the step she was
to take was rather too bold, — she dared to divorce
Nami, saying that she was doing it for the sake of
Takeo and the family. But when she saw the ex-
tent of Takeo's anger, she discovered for the first
time that she had made a mistake, and that a mother
has no absolute power over her son.

Formerly she had looked on her son's love toward

Nami with a jealous eye, but now, seeing that her
love, esteem, and authority could not compete with
the love of one dying woman, she felt as if her
power were utterly destroyed, and as if she had been
cheated out of her prize. Her resentment at Ta-
keo's action was unabated, and she persisted in revil-
ing Nami long after she had left the house.

One thing more added fuel to the flame. She
had indeed a slight fear lurking in a corner of
her heart that she had been unjust. To her,
Takeo's displeasure was absolutely unreasonable,
but she began to feel that possibly she had over-
stepped the rights of a mother. As she lay sleep-
less by night, watching a wan disk of light, thrown
by a lantern on the ceiling, she felt as if a small
voice were whispering to her : " You are wrong ;
you are to blame," and was made very uneasy.
Nothing in the world makes us feel so strong as
the belief that we are doing right. And nothing
is so unpleasant as to be on the point of humbling
ourselves under constraint. When injured se-
verely, beasts will roar; when reminded of his
guilt, man will rage. Takeo's mother was now in
this condition, and her irrepressible anger was even
increased by this very feeling. As the days went
by, Takeo did not return. Neither did he write

of

to tell her that he was in the wrong. As the only
way to get rid of her uneasiness, the widow gave
full vent to her anger, and was barely able even
then to justify herself. She raged at Takeo, at
Nami, at the thought of the past and of the future,
at her own isolation and loneliness, and ultimately
at her own helplessness, till she would finally wear
herself out and fall asleep.

At the house of Kawashima, the servants were
often tempted to pack up their things on account of
the widow's continual ill-temper. At last the news
of the battles at Phung Island and Asan stirred
the capital. The widow was deeply offended be-
cause Takeo had neglected to send her a farewell
letter on going to the war, and the accounts of
other mothers coming up to Tokyo to see off their
sons in the army, or writing to encourage them,
made her lamentable situation all the worse. She
even thought of the possibility that death might
separate them forever. And, being moved some-
what, she reluctantly condescended to write two
letters to her son, and to send them to him at the
front.

Takeo's answer soon came. About a month
later, a telegram reached her from the Naval Hos-
pital at Saseho, telling of his injury. Her hand

[233]

trembled in spite of her, as she held the paper.
And, though she learned soon afterward that he
was getting better, she sent Tazaki to report on
his condition.

The widow felt relieved when Tazaki returned
from Saseho, but she earnestly desired to see her
son on his recovery, and thought it best to get a
second wife for him as soon as the war was over.
In that way she hoped to remove Nami from
Takeo's mind, to maintain the house of Kawashima,
and to make amends, as she thought, for her rather
rash act.

To find a good second wife for Takeo was the
problem she had had in mind since the very day
of Nami's divorce. For that purpose, she canvassed
a whole list of young daughters of her few ac-
quaintances, but could not find one who pleased
her. While she was at a loss, Yamaki suddenly
sent his daughter Toyo to her house to be instructed
in good manners. Of course she was soon aware
of Yamaki's purpose and of the fact that Toyo
was by no means a faultless girl. But a drowning
man grasps at a straw. The widow, who was at
her wits' end, finally complied with Yamaki's re-
quest and received Toyo for trial.
[234]

n Cime of

The result of her examination was the cause of
Tazaki's smile. Neither the widow nor Toyo was
satisfied, and the servants heard so much that they
made merry over the poor girl.

At first calmness, then the sparing use of bird-
shot, and finally a terrific bombardment, — such
was the stratagem Widow Kawashima employed
against everybody. Nami herself had been the
object of such an attack. And, as she had been
sensitive, she had felt it keenly. Now it was Toyo's
turn. Having a happy disposition, which made it
possible for her to remain quite indifferent to her
surroundings, she did not care for the bird-shot
any more than for the spattering of rain-drops.
This naturally impelled the widow to take more
severe steps.

Toyo was by nature easy-going, as if she were
always wrapped in spring haze. Her mind was
dull, and, not only had she no ambition, but often
V / she seemed to have no individuality. As she stood
in a garden on a spring evening, her body and soul
seemed to dissolve into mist and to elude the grasp
of hands. Such as she was, since she first awoke to
love, Toyo began to learn what she had to pay
for it at the house of Kawashima. As soon as she
got up in the morning, she would be ordered to do
[235]

Bamt feo

this or that kind of work, and, in the end, she
would be rewarded only with hard words and
taunts. Of course she was generally impervious to
light attacks, but even she could not withstand con-
tinuous harsh treatment. Had she not been serving
in the house of her lover, she would have run away
long ago. But, remembering the repeated instruc-
tions of her parents, she bravely maintained her
stand before the assault, and passed many a cheer-
less day. At times her situation was almost un-
bearable, and then she was wont to think what a
hard thing love was, and that she would never
be in love again. The Widow Kawashima made
poor Toyo a safety-valve for her disturbed temper,
and the servants made a laughing-stock of her.
Without even being able to see the face of her lover,
she vainly awaited better days with a patience she
had never known before.

With the coming of Toyo, the widow found
a new source of displeasure. A gem lost is in-
valuable; a wife gone is faultless, so the saying
goes. Though far from being Nami's equal, Toyo,
whose every act caused much trouble to the widow,
would remind her mistress regretfully of the one
whom she had formerly maltreated. Nami was
a modest girl, sparing of words, and gentle in de-
[236]

Cirae of

meaner, not so showy at first glance, but very con-
siderate and clever. The widow, taking advantage
of her meekness, had never hesitated to scold her,
and yet she secretly admitted that Nami was ex-
ceptionally bright for her age. Of her the widow
thought, in spite of herself, whenever the compari-
son was forced on her by the presence of Toyo.
Every time something unpleasant happened, when
Toyo was near with her vague and indecisive per-
sonality, sitting with her eyes half-closed and her
lips powerlessly parted, the widow would see before
her the pale face and jet-black hair of Nami, who
would look up and innocently ask her pleasure.
The widow's heart quivered with an odd sense of
reproach, and she tried hard to turn her thoughts
away by sheer force of the excuse : " It was wrong
of her to get ill." Still the strange feeling would
increase, — a feeling which she mistook for a fit
of her ill-humor, and which thus made her burst
out angrily upon poor Toyo.

It therefore happened that at the very moment
Yamaki told Tazaki that his aspiration was to make
his daughter the second wife of Takeo, the rela-
tions between Toyo and the Widow Kawashima
had reached a crisis more imminent than even the
struggle between Japan and China.

[237]

CHAPTER III

Contalegcence

opened his sleepy eyes, awakened by
the singing of the birds under his window.

He stretched his arm across the bed and pushed
the curtain aside. The morning sun, just rising
over the hills, shone brightly through the window.
The hills were still veiled in morning mist, but
the autumnal sky above was clear, and brought into
relief the branches of a cherry-tree standing in crim-
son attire before the window. Two or three little
birds were chirping and hopping on the branches.
At last they all peeped into the room, exchanged
a look with Takeo, as he half-reclined on the bed,
and suddenly flew away, as if taken by surprise,
leaving behind them a single yellow leaf falling in
the windless air.

Takeo smiled at the thought of the morning mes-
sengers who had aroused him from sleep, and, try-
ing to lay his head again on the pillow, he knitted
his forehead as if in pain. At last he adjusted him-
self comfortably, and closed his eyes.

The morning was quiet, and there was nothing to
[238]

Conbalejfcence

disturb him. Presently a. cock crowed, and a fish-
erman's song was heard in the distance.

Takeo opened his eyes, smiled, and again closed
them, as if he were deep in thought.

It was now more than a month since he had been
wounded in battle, and had been sent to Saseho
Hospital.

Hit by fragments of the enemy's shell, which
had exploded just within the gun shield, he had
fallen insensible to the deck. Luckily the wounds
in his leg did not reach the bone, while the remain-
ing injuries were nothing but mere bruises. The
captain of his corps had been blown to pieces, and
the rest of his fellow officers were all killed, al-
though a few of his gunners escaped unhurt.
Under these circumstances, it was indeed mirac-
ulous that Takeo did not lose his life. On being
sent to the Naval Hospital, he was delirious at
first, on account of high fever, but, as he was young,
his condition improved with the return of the cool
season. After the lapse of over a month, though
he still felt some pain, he had recovered sufficiently
to attempt to leave the room filled with the smell
of carbolic acid, and get out into the open autumnal
air, even at the risk of offending the surgeon. He
O39]

was now only waiting for the day when he could
go back to the seat of war once more.

The life he had spurned, as if it were as worth-
less as dust, did not forsake him after all. With
the abatement of his fever and pain, the love for
life returned in spite of himself, and with it the
old care and sorrow. The locust changes its skin,
but man cannot do the like, and the thread of
Takeo's memory, temporarily buried in the heat of
battle and suffering, now returned gradually as he
recovered his health and his mind grew calmer.

But, as a severe disease renews our bodily tissues,
so the experience Takeo had had in meeting death
face to face gave a new color to his feeling. The
great battle and the extraordinary events he had
met before and after it, shook his mind as if in a
storm. The storm was now over, but its effect yet
remained in the sea of his heart, and the feeling
that floated on it took a different aspect. Takeo
was no longer angry at his mother. He enshrined
the memory of Nami in the recesses of his heart
as if she were no more, and, as his thought turned
toward her, he felt as if he were listening to a
sad but sweet strain of music wafted from a distant
hill.

Tazaki came to visit him, and Takeo heard from
[240]

Convalescence

him about his mother, and also something about
Nami. Fearing to displease him, Tazaki did not
tell Takeo about Yamaki's daughter. But that
something was enough to draw tears from him.
There glided into his nightly dream the figure of
the sick girl staying alone at a villa where the wind
mourned sadly among the pines. And this vision
alternated with his dreams of the battle off the
Yalu.

Takeo was thinking of what had happened a
week ago.

He had thrown away the newspaper he had been
reading, and, yawning, looked out of the window.
His roommate had gone off the day before, and
now he was left alone. It was late in the after-
noon. The room was rather dark, and the autumn
rain was pouring outside. A patient in the adjoin-
ing room must have been under electrical treat-
ment ; the humming noise of the instrument blended
continually with the rain, and added to the lone-
liness of the hour. Listening to the noise without
effort, he watched the window-panes as the rain
splashed upon them like a fountain, and the wet
trees and shrubs outside came into view and then
vanished. He looked at them dreamily for a while,
[241]

fed

and then suddenly covered his head with the
blanket.

" Here are a package and a box for you. Are
you asleep ? "

Takeo thrust out his head, and saw a boy by
the bedstead. He stood there with a paper package
and a heavy box tied round with rope.

"Oh, something for me?" asked Takeo.
" Where are they from ? "

The boy read the name of the sender. Takeo
had never heard it.

" Open them for me, please."

The oil-paper being removed, a bundle wrapped
in purple cloth was produced. On untying it, there
appeared a woollen light dress, a soft silk medium
dress, a belt of white crape, a pair of snow-white
socks, a broad-sleeved negligee shirt, and a soft
shoulder-pad. And what was in the box? It was
full of the large pears and fresh bananas of which
he was very fond.

Takeo's heart began to throb.

" And no letter in it ? " he asked.

The boy looked everywhere, but not a piece of
written paper could be found.

" Just let me see that oiled paper."

Takeo looked at his name on the paper, and his
[242]

Convalescence

heart leaped to his mouth. He recognized the
handwriting.

It is she. It is she. Who else but she? Do
you not see in every stitch of the clothes the precious
V mark of her tears? Do you not see the writing
tremble with the feebleness of her hand?

Hardly waiting to be left alone, Takeo burst
into tears.

Takeo now realized that Nami dwelt forever in
his soul, and that it was overflowing with endless
love. By day he thought of her, and by night he
dreamed of her.

But the world was not free, as in his dream.
Takeo believed that even death could not sever
her from him, much less the trifling conventional-
ities of the world. But, in trying to materialize
his belief, he could only be persuaded that those
trifling conventionalities and customs formed an
insurmountable barrier between the dream and
reality. No matter what the world would do,
she was forever his wife. But his mother had
divorced her in his name, and her father had re-
called the sanction in her stead. There was no
more connection between them in the eyes of the
world. Would it be possible for him to see her
[243]

again on his recovery, and to try to take her again
as his wife? Deceive himself as he might, Takeo
was scarcely able to believe that, in spite of a so-
called social formality, such things might or could
be done. On the contrary, he knew that not only
every such trial would fail, but it would widen
still further the gap between his mother and him-
self. He had already tasted enough of bitterness
in opposing his mother.

Living in this wide universe, Takeo thought it
unbearable to be thus fettered in his freedom of
love, but he could not find the way out. From day
to day he lived in this uneasiness, and could only
console himself by vowing in his heart that Nami
was his wife in life or death.

Of this Takeo was thinking as he awoke that
morning.

The surgeon came in presently on his regular
visit, and went away satisfied that the wound would
be healed before long. Then a letter from his
mother was brought to him. It expressed her pleas-
ure in hearing from Tazaki of Takeo's improved
condition, and went on to say that she wanted
him to come back as soon as the doctor would allow,
as she had something to talk over with him. Some-
thing to talk over! Might it not be the thing he
l>44]

most shunned and feared? Takeo pondered. And
he did not go back to Tokyo.

Early in November, not long after the Matsu-
shima, which had been repaired after the battle
in the Yellow Sea, had started again for the war,
Takeo left the hospital and sailed on board a trans-
port for his own vessel at Tailienwan.

The day before he started from Saseho, Takeo
mailed two letters, one of them to his mother.

[245]

CHAPTER IV

Cemptatton

FOR the two months following the first of
September, when the place had already been
deserted by most of the town people who had
thronged there during the summer, a lady might
be seen taking a walk in the calm of the day on the
sunny beach at Zushi, accompanied by a maid of
over fifty.

The fishermen on the shore and the invalids still
staying there were accustomed to watch her shadow-
like figure, and they bowed to her as often as they
met. They all knew something of her sad story.

The young lady was Nami.

Although life held no hope for her, she still
lingered on, and time soon brought to her again
the weary autumn months.

Nami had returned to Tokyo with her aunt in the
previous June, and, from the moment she learned
of her unexpected fate, her illness grew worse and
worse, and her hemorrhages increased. The doctor
could do nothing, her family were sorrow-stricken,
[246]

Ceraptation

and she herself cheerfully waited for death. Her
life hung by a thread. Being cast by a single blow
into the darkness of a deep pit, she had hardly time
for any feelings of hatred or love. Oppressed only
by the horror of the situation, she merely sought re-
lease. And death was indeed the only way. So she
longed for it, and while her body lay suffering on the
sick-bed, her mind was already in the world beyond. \y/~
To-day or to-morrow, so soon as this mortal coil
should be shuffled off, leaving the weary world far
behind, her soul would take flight to heaven through
a vast expanse of space, and there she could weep to
her heart's content at her dear mother's feet. The
messenger of death was never more welcome than
now.

But even death was denied her. She thought
every day would be her last, but the end did not
come. And when about a month had passed, she was
somewhat improved in spite of herself, and after
another month, she was better. Being compelled to
live in this world, Nami had to live over her life v
of tears. Indeed, she was puzzled at her fate, for
she had come to disbelieve in the cheerfulness of
life, and to think there was no horror in death.
Why should she see the doctor, take medicine and
try to save her useless life?

[247]

But there was her father's love. He tenderly
visited her from time to time, gave her medicine
himself, built a cozy house for her benefit, and tried
to restore her health by all means in his power. As
often as she heard her father's footsteps and saw his
face brighten over her improvement, she could not
restrain the tears from gliding down her cheeks.
Unable to seek death recklessly, she took care of
herself for his sake. And there was another reason.
Nami could not doubt her husband. She knew his
mind too well to lay the divorce at his door. When
she heard from Takeo on her sick-bed, she felt as
if a seal was set on her belief, and was much com-
forted. Of course she did not know anything about
her future. She hardly thought that the severed
bond of marriage could again be made whole, even
though she should get well. But she believed firmly
in the emotional intercourse of their spiritual selves,
and consoled herself with the idea that nothing could
destroy their eternal love.

So the love of her father and her hope in the
unchanging love of Takeo, together with the skilful
treatment of the doctor, helped to rekindle the fire
of her nearly extinguished life. And in the early
part of September she again moved with Iku and
the nurse to the villa at Zushi.
[248]

Ccmptatton

Nami felt better at Zushi, and the quietude of
the place calmed her mind. When she was reclining
in an easy-chair after a bath, on those afternoons
while the roll of the sea receded in the distance,
and listened soothingly to the sweet notes of the
birds, she felt as if she had been carried back to the
previous spring, and she almost felt that her husband
might appear before her at any moment.

Life at the villa was much the same as it had
been six months before. With Iku and the nurse
as her companion, she daily attended to herself, and
observed the rules prescribed by the doctor. Now
and then she would amuse herself in making verses
or arranging flowers. Once or twice a week the
doctor came from Tokyo to see her. Less often
she saw her aunt, or her cousin, or rarely her step-
mother. Hearing of her illness, some of her old
school friends wrote her letters of condolence, but
they lacked sincerity. Nami, however, was impatient
for the visit of her cousin Chizu. Everything that
she wanted to know came through Chizu.

Since the matrimonial tie had been broken the
Kawashima family was further and further removed
from her. True, the thought of the beloved one
who was hundreds of miles away crossed and re-
crossed her mind night and day, but she never

[249]

thought of his mother. Indeed she strove not to
do so. If once her thought turned towards her old
mother-in-law, she would be disturbed by a bitter
feeling of horror and disgust. She was terrified
even at the thought of her, and tried to turn away
from it. When she heard that Yamaki's daughter
had been sent to the house of Kawashima, she
naturally felt uneasy. But that was only for a
moment. She knew that it had nothing to do with
the beloved one in whom she believed firmly. Al-
though she must remain in a small villa on the sandy
beach of Sagami Bay, her heart turned constantly
toward the western sky.

The two men she loved most in this world were
now engaged in the war with China. Her father
went down to Hiroshima soon after she went to
Zushi, and was going over to the Regent's Sword.
She wanted very much to see him off, but he sent
word to her that she must take good care of herself,
and get well enough to welcome him on his vic-
torious return. Takeo, so she heard, was not on
board the flag-ship of the combined squadrons. She
feared that if a change in weather affected him, he
would be kept from his duty in time of need.
Therefore, though she felt sure that she had no
more to do with this world, Nami busied herself
[250]

(
Cemptation

day and night with thoughts of war on land and
sea, and pored over newspapers with a heart anxious
for the triumph of her country, the safety of her
father, and the success of Takeo.

Late in September, she heard the news of the
battle off the Yalu, and a few days later she found
the name of Takeo among the wounded. Nami
did not sleep that night. Her aunt in Tokyo,
however, heard about his condition, and informed
her that Takeo's wounds were not fatal, and that
he was now in the hospital at Saseho. She felt
greatly relieved, but as her mind wandered to his
sick-bed, she was reminded of the meagre sympathy
she was able to bestow upon him. Heart to heart
they remained the same, but on account of their
divorce she could not even send him a card of con-
dolence. Nami was depressed by these thoughts.

Prompted, however, by an irrepressible desire, she
discovered a way. With the help of Iku, Nami
made dresses for Takeo, and, together with some
fruits she knew he was very fond of, sent them to
Saseho under a feigned name, hoping that her sor-
rowful heart might go with them.

The days passed, and about the middle of Novem-
ber a letter bearing the postmark of Saseho reached
Nami. She read it and wept.

JltJami ko

In the morning, Chizu and Nami's sister Koma,
who had been with her since Saturday evening, went
back to Tokyo. The house, which had resounded
with their cheerful voices, now assumed its usual
quiet and lonely aspect. And Nami shutting her-
self up on that gloomy day, sat alone opposite the
picture of her dead mother.

To-day, the nineteenth of November, was the
date of her mother's last day on earth. Nami took
out the picture, hung it in a frame over the wall of
the alcove, and decorated it with white chrysanthe-
mums in full bloom, which Chizu had brought. For
a while she listened to the cheerful old stories Iku
had to tell, but now she was left alone before the
picture to indulge in meditation.

It was now ten years since Nami had last seen
her mother in this world. And during these long
years she never once forgot her. But never before
had her heart yearned so much for the departed
one. If mother were only alive, Nami thought, she
would tell all her grief to her and lighten the bur-
den resting too heavily on her weak shoulders. Why
did she go away and leave the helpless child behind ?
The thought started the silent tears from her eyes.

She remembered well a happy day several months
before her mother died. She was eight years old,
[252]

Cemptatton

and her sister five; both were dressed exactly alike
in pink crape with patterns of cherry flowers, and
they drove in a carriage with their mother between
them to Suzaki's at Kudan. And this picture now
in front of her had been taken then and there. The
ten years had passed like a dream, her mother
remaining to her memory as in the picture, and
she —

She made up her mind never to think of herself,
but in the miserable life she now led she could think
of nothing else. She felt as if her hopeless self were
in the midst of heavy clouds, and as if the room
she was now in had turned into a cold dungeon
where not a ray of sunlight could find its way.

Suddenly the clock struck two. Awakened from
her reverie, she hastened out into the adjoining room
as if in flight. There was no one there, and Iku
and the nurse was heard talking in the rear. She
stood there undecided for a moment, but again
stepped out of the room into the garden, and thence
though the gate to the beach.

The sky was gloomy. Although it was autumn,
the clouds lay low and heavy and the sea frowned
black. The atmosphere was calm and not a breath
of wind stirred the water. On the whole expanse
of the sea not a sail was to be seen.
[253]

Nami went on and on. To-day there were no
fishermen, and nobody taking exercise on the beach,
except one little girl with a child on her back,
singing and gathering shells. The girl saw Nami,
smiled and bowed to her, and Nami on her part
returned a sad smile. But sinking again into deep
thought, she walked on with downcast eyes.

Presently she stopped. She came to where the
sandy beach ended, and to where a narrow path
over the rocks led to the Fudo Shrine by a water-
fall which she had visited with her husband the
previous spring.

She walked along that path.

Nami passed by the Fudo Shrine and sat down
on a rock. It was the same rock on which she sat
last spring with her husband. Then the sky was
bright and clear, and the sea was more glossy than
a mirror. But now the dark clouds in strange
shapes filled the sky, the tide flowed high up
to the very foot of the rock, and not a speck of white
sail broke the leaden surface of the sea.

Nami drew out the letter. It contained only a

few scribbled lines in bold handwriting, but to

Nami they appeared far more eloquent than pages of

finely phrased sentences. And as often as she read

[254]

Cemptatton

the simple confession of Takeo, " Not a day passes
without thinking of Nami-san," her heart would
thrill as if it would burst.

"Why does the world treat me so?" she asked.
" I love him so much, and am almost dying of a
broken heart. And he still loves me. And how
could it happen that our bond was broken? Isn't
his heart's blood in this letter? Here on this very
rock we both plighted our faith last spring. The
sea knows it and the rock itself marks it. But why
was the world so cruel as to crush us under its iron
heel? Oh, my dearest husband, here on this rock
last spring, last spring — "

Nami opened her eyes. She was sitting alone on
the rock. The silent sea lay before her, and only the
noise of the waterfall was heard drearily behind.
She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
The tears flowed unchecked through her slender
fingers.

Her head throbbed, and her heart grew cold,
as the thoughts moved through her mind, quick as
a shuttle. Nami thought of the days when she was
here with her husband, the time she first fell ill,
the time she spent at Ikao, and the time she was
a bride. The day she went back to Tokyo with her
aunt, the day she lost her mother many, many
[255]

years ago, the face of her mother, the face of her
father, and the faces of her stepmother, sister,
brother, and many others persistently flashed like
lightning across her mind. Kami's thought now
turned to one of her friends, whom Chizu told
about yesterday. She was older than Nami by two
years, and had been married the year before her to
a certain clever young count. She was much liked
by her mother-in-law, but somehow was not loved
at all by her husband. She had one child, but on
account of the debauched life of her husband she
had secured a divorce last spring, and died not
long after. On the one hand her friend had died
forsaken by her husband, and on the other, Nami led
a life of tears, torn from her husband. Varied was
the human lot, but all was but sorrow and distress.
Nami drew a troubled sigh, and looked at the dark-
ening sea.

The more she thought, the more she felt as if
there were no more room for her in this world.
Born into a well-to-do family, she had lost her
mother at the age of eight, passed ten hard years
under the eyes of her stepmother, and no sooner
had she been blessed with the crowning joy of
human hearts, than she had contracted this horrible
disease. And then followed the sentence more
[256]

temptation

cruel than that of death, and though the man of
her heart remained true to her, she could no longer
call him her husband or be called his wife. If she
must lead such an ill-fated life, why was she born
at all? Why did she not die with her mother?
Why was she married to Takeo? Why did she
not die in his arms when she first contracted the
disease? Why did she not die when she learned
of her fate? Was life still worth living to one
who was suffering from an incurable disease, and
was yearning after an impossible love? Suppose
her disease should be cured; she would be sure to
die of a broken heart if she could not be restored
to her husband. Ah, to die, to die; there was no
hope but in death!

Without trying to wipe away her falling tears, \/
Nami looked on the sea.

In the direction of Oshima black clouds were
suddenly rising, and an indescribable noise came
from a far-off corner of the sky. The face of the
wide sea was all at once in a tumult. A gust of
wind had risen. No sooner had it passed than a
mass of snowy foam appeared suddenly in the midst
of the black water, reared itself like a mad horse,
and dashed against the rock on which Nami was
seated. The vast expanse of the Sagami Sea was

suddenly turned into seething water, weltering
waves chasing one after another.

Without minding the scattering spray, Nami still
watched the sea. " Beneath that sea," thought she,
" is death. Death may be freer than life. Is it
not better to be constantly with my husband in a
formless shadow than to linger hopelessly in this
life? He is now on the Yellow Sea. Though it
is far away, this water flows there. Let me vanish
as a foam of the sea, and my spirit fly to him."

Putting Takeo's letter securely in a fold of her
belt, and letting her hair fall loose in the wind,
Nami rose from her seat.

The wind from the depth of heaven blew steadily
by this time, and Nami was barely able to stand.
Above, the clouds were chasing hurriedly one after
another, and in front of her the sea was tossing in
a rage. The wind roared over Sakura Hill, and
the pines shook like the mane of a horse. The
wind howled, the sea roared, the hill wailed, and
a confused thundering noise filled the heaven and
earth.

" Now is the time ! — Now is the time ! Oh,
lead me, dear mother! Forgive your daughter, O
father! My short life will vanish like a dream."

Drawing her dress about her, and taking off her
[258]

temptation

clogs, Nami was about to throw herself into the
seething water as it broke against the rock.

Just at this moment she heard a cry behind her,
and felt herself in a strong grasp.

[259]

CHAPTER V

" T~KU, make the tea. She will be here soon,"
_/ said Nami to the old woman, who was clean-
ing the room.

" She is so nice," said Iku. " But I am surprised
to hear that she is Yaso." 1

" Yes, I hear so."

" I did not even dream that such a nice lady
was Yaso. And then, she cuts her hair short, you
know."

"What of it?" asked Nami.

" You know that believers in Yaso never cut
their hair short when their husbands die. Instead,
they dress themselves still more nicely, and are on
the lookout for second husbands."

"Who told you so?"

"Oh, I know it," declared Iku. "I tell you,
in that religion even young girls grow conceited.
I knew a girl living next door to one of my rela-
tives. She had been a very gentle girl, but after

1 Yaso : from Jesu, meaning in vulgar Japanese either a
Christian or Christianity. A rather contemptuous term.
[260]

she went to a. mission school, she was changed so
much that on Sundays, when her mother needed
her help most, she would go to church without the
least consideration. And then she would say that
she did not like her house because it was not as
clean as her school, and she would tell her mother
that she was obstinate. Although she went to
school, she did not know how to write even a
receipt, and she could not sew a single seam straight.
Her parents were very anxious over her future.
She was so vain as to say that she would not
marry a man who got less than two hundred and
fifty yen a month. Isn't it really astonishing? She
had been such a good child that the change in her
was all the more marked. It may be that this was
due to some witchcraft that religion is said to exer-
cise."

Nami laughed, and said : " That's bad enough.
But every question has two sides to it, and you
cannot judge rightly without knowing both. Don't
you think so ? "

Iku nodded her head, as if to say that she
could hardly believe Nami. Looking earnestly
at Nami, she continued:

" You had better keep away from Yaso."
[261]

Nami smiled. " You mean that you don't want
me to talk with that lady?"

" Why, if all Yaso were like her, there might
be no harm, but — "

Iku hesitated, as a human shadow was seen on
the paper screen.

" Excuse me if I come in by the garden gate,"
was heard in a soft voice. Iku arose hurriedly,
opened the screen, and a rather small woman of
about fifty entered. She looked old for her age,
her gray hair was cut short, and she was dressed
in black. Lean and careworn, she appeared rather
sad, but her eyes looked kind and her lips were
smiling.

She was the very person Iku had been talking
about. And, besides, she was the very person who
had rescued Nami from drowning the week be-
fore.

She never made the slightest attempt to force
herself upon the attention of others, but those who
knew her bore strong testimony to her remarkable
personality. Her name was Kiyo Ogawa, and she
lived at Meguro in charge of a large family of
orphans, taking delight in looking after the little
souls of deserted children. She had been at Zushi
since the end of the last month, seeking recovery
[262]

from an attack of pleurisy. It was by the merest
chance that she happened to be able to save Nami,
whom she gave at once into Iku's care.

Iku had brought in the tea and was just
about to leave the room, when she exclaimed in
a surprised tone:

" Are you going back to-morrow ? What a pity !
We have just got acquainted with you."

The old lady, looking at Nami with her mild
eyes, answered:

" I wish I could stay a little longer, and have
the opportunity to talk with you, for I do not
want to go back until you are better." Taking
out a small book, she added : " This is the Bible.
You haven't read it, I suppose."

Nami had not read it. Her stepmother had
been known as a Christian while in England, but
upon her return she had renounced her faith, and
had left her Bible at her lodging in London, to-
gether with her old shoes and papers.

" No, I haven't read it," Nami replied.

Iku, unable to go, stared with open eyes at the
book. She was probably thinking that there was
witchcraft in it.

" If you read it," the old lady continued, " when
[263]

JBamt feo

you feel well, I am sure you will be much benefited.
If I could stay a little longer, I would take time
to talk with you about many things in it. But, as
this is my last day, I wanted to tell you how I
came to read this book. Don't you feel tired?
Please lie down, if you prefer."

" Thank you, but I am not tired," said Nami.
" Please tell me your story."

Iku now changed the tea, and went away.

The old lady looked down for a moment, felt
of her knees, and then, gazing up into Nami's face,
began her story.

" Life is short, but if you consider the amount
of experience you can have, it is indeed very long.
My father was a lord under the last Shogun, and
was quite well off. Perhaps you remember the
little piece of ground with a great many elm-trees
growing on it, just beyond Sui-do Bridge at Koishi-
kawa. Of course it went into another's possession
long, long ago, but I was born in a house there.
Mother died when I was twelve years old. Father
was very sad over his loss, and he did not take
a second wife. So, young as I was, I had to look
after all the household matters. My brother was
married, and I was soon given away in marriage
to a certain Ogawa, also a general, but a little
[264]

2EIje

higher in rank. It was when I was twenty-one,
some ten years before you were born, I suppose.

" I was disciplined in our code of morals for
young women, and thought that I was never be-
hind anybody in matters of self-sacrifice. But when
I came to deal with real things I found them often
simply unbearable. It was just before the Restora-
tion, my husband could rarely be at home, and as I
had parents-in-law and two sisters-in-law, I had
five elders in the family to serve. I cannot tell
you how much I was worried. My father-in-law
was a good-natured man, but my mother-in-law was
very hard to please. My husband had had a wife
before me, so I understood, but she was frightened
away not long after she came. I don't like to
speak ill of any one in the grave, but my mother-
in-law was really a violent and strong-headed
woman, and, in spite of my efforts to deny myself, I
sometimes shed many secret tears. To make things
still worse, they often discovered that I wept, and
I was scolded over and over again.

" It was, however, not long before the Restora-
tion War broke out, and the city of Yedo was all
in commotion. My husband, father, and brother
all joined the Anti-Restoration Volunteers at Ueno.
My father-in-law was dangerously ill, and my child
[265]

was about to be born. Indeed, I did not know
what to do under the circumstances. At last, Ueno
was stormed, my husband fled northward to Hako-
date, my father disappeared, my brother died at
Ueno, and his family were also lost. In the mean-
while, my father-in-law died and my child was
born. Everything came at once. I was almost over-
whelmed with trouble. And then, as our annuity
from the Shogun ceased and our property was con-
fiscated, my mother-in-law, with the baby and my-
self, accompanied by an old servant, started on a
journey to Shizuoka, the old town of the Tokuga-
was, over the Hakone hills. I felt as if I were
struggling under the weight of a horrible dream."

At this time the nurse came in, made a bow, and,
after giving medicine to Nami, left the room. The
old lady closed her eyes for a while. At last she
looked at Nami, and continued:

" The distress of the vassals of Tokugawa House
at Shizuoka was simply indescribable. The Shogun
was so reduced in power and in income that even
Count Katsu was then obliged to live in retirement.
The rations for three men allotted us in place of
the annuity of ten thousand bushels of rice we had
hitherto received was considered very liberal. I am
almost ashamed to tell you that we could hardly
[266]

afford to buy more than half a loaf of bean-cake
at a time. My mother-in-law had been used to
luxurious living, so I was very much troubled about
her. I did what I could to help my family by
giving sewing and writing lessons to little girls, and
by making dresses for other people. I did not mind
it much, but my mother-in-law, being still in a
violent temper, my husband then in prison, and the
whereabouts of my father still undiscovered, I was
so much distressed that I would willingly have died
but for my little child. Indeed, I was so worn
with care that by the end of the year I looked ten
years older.

" After a while, however, my husband was re-
leased, and entered the army. So again we crossed
the Hakone hills and returned to Tokyo — the name
had already been changed, you know. It was the
spring of 1871. A year after, my husband was sent
abroad. We fared very well, except for the un-
changing temper of my mother-in-law. And then
there was one thing that constantly troubled me,
and that was the whereabouts of my father.

" In the fall of the year my husband sailed for

Europe. One rainy day I went to see a certain

acquaintance of mine at Koishikawa, and came home

in a kuruma they hired for me. It was already

[267]

dark and was storming outside. I sat timidly in the
kuruma, while the man drew it lazily along. I
could see him with his round projecting head-gear
and the wrinkled oil-paper coat from which the
rain dripped. The light of the lantern he held in
his hand glided over the muddy road, and his
splashing footsteps were heard mingled with the
occasional groans he uttered. Just as we came to
Sui-do Bridge, the lantern went out. The man
stopped his kuruma, and asked to be allowed to
take a box of matches from under the cushion. I
could not hear him very well on account of the
wind, but his voice seemed familiar, and, as the
light he struck showed me his face, I saw before
me my own father ! "

The old lady covered her face involuntarily, Nami
burst into tears, and some one in the adjoining room
was also heard sobbing.

Wiping her eyes, the old lady went on:
" I took him to a lunch-house near by at once,
and there he told me his story. He said that after
the fall of Ueno he had wandered around the
country, earning his living in several ways. At
times he had been sick, and always poor. He was
now staying at the house of a poor gardener, who
[268]

had been one of our retainers in his better days,
and he gained his livelihood by drawing kuruma
every day. Feelings of surprise, joy, alarm, and
sadness swept over me by turns, and I could say
little. That evening, however, we parted, my
father suggesting to me the recklessness of staying
out too late.

" It was quite late when I got home. My
mother-in-law had been impatient for my return,
and she no sooner saw me than she burst out in
all her fury. She even called me a disreputable
name. Suppressing my emotion, I told her about
my father. Far from sympathizing with me, she
still continued to call me disreputable names. I
was so much hurt that I made up my mind to
leave the house, and go at once to my father. After
she had gone to bed, I changed my clothes and
began to write a note to my mother-in-law at the
bedside of my boy, who was then six years old.
He cried out all at once in sleep, and, stretching his
right hand towards me, muttered : ' Mamma, don't
go away! ' He must have been dreaming over the
experiences of the day, as I had left him at home in
going to Koishikawa. I was surprised, and watched
for a while the face of the sleeping child, when it
gradually turned out to be a very copy of my
[269]

husband's face. I dropped my writing-brush and
wept. I don't know how it happened, but suddenly
I was reminded of the old story of a bride and
her mother-in-law I used to hear in my childhood
from my mother, and it fitted my case exactly.
I thought that everything would be all right only
through my forbearance, and so I gave up my first
idea. I am not wearying you? "

Nami, who had been listening with deep interest,
could only give assent with her tearful eyes. The
old lady now resumed her story.

" Such being the case, I could not provide for
my father as I wanted to. And so very secretly I
sold my spare things and sent him a little money,
but of course that could not last long. Luckily,
however, I was introduced to a certain foreign
minister's wife who desired to learn Japanese music,
and so I gave her lessons, and thus was able to
support my father. The foreign lady was very
kind to me, and we were soon good friends. She
would talk with me in her broken Japanese, and
one day she gave me a book and wanted me to read
it. It was the Gospel of Matthew, — you will
find it at the beginning of this Bible, — which at
that time had just been translated into Japanese.
I tried to read it, but, as it was full of strange
[270]

's §torp

stories, I laid it aside without paying further atten-
tion to it.

" Early in the following year my mother-in-law
was stricken suddenly with paralysis, and this
brought a complete change in her temper. Hard-
hearted as she had been, she now became meek as
a child, and wanted my company so much that
she would call me back every time I left her side.
As I watched her sleeping there helpless, I was sorry
that I had ever felt revengeful towards her, and,
wanting to make her well, if possible, I did what I
could for her. But all to no purpose.

" Not long after my mother-in-law died, my hus-
band came home. My father was to join us pretty
soon, but he suddenly fell ill, and died peacefully
a few days after. He told me that no one was
more fortunate than he in meeting his lost daughter,
and in receiving such tender treatment from her.
But I was sorry that I could not do for him one-
tenth of what I had intended to do.

" Things went along very well thereafter, my
husband being promoted gradually and my son
growing up well. But I was not without anxiety.
My husband was too much given to drink, as often
is the case with army officers. And then, in those
days, men were especially loose, and, though my
[271]

husband was better than the average, having profited
by Western manners, he was in many ways no
exception to the general rule. Being humiliated by
his dissipation, I often took occasion to give him
some advice, but he only laughed at my words.

" We had now come to the outbreak of the
Civil War in 1876, and my husband, being Major
Captain of the Imperial Guard, was sent south. In
his absence my boy became ill with scarlet fever,
and I had to nurse him day and night. It was
the evening of the eighteenth of April. My boy
was somewhat better, and was sleeping quietly, so,
dismissing the maids, I sat alone by his bedside and
was doing a bit of needlework. I gradually became
very drowsy and felt almost soulless, when I heard
some one come and sit on the bed. I wondered
who it was, and looked up. It was my husband,
dressed in his uniform, covered with blood and
deadly pale ! I cried — and, awakened by my
voice, I looked around me, but no one was there.
The light of the paper lantern burned dim and
my boy was sleeping still. My heart palpitated and
cold sweat stood on my brow.

" The day following, my boy was very much
worse, and died in the evening. I was overcome with
sorrow, and was crying with him in my arms, when

'fif g>torp

a. telegram reached me from the seat of war. It
announced the death of my husband in battle."

The speaker was silent, the listener held her
breath, and a deep quiet fell upon the room. After
awhile the old lady took up the thread of her story
again.

" Everything was now as dark as if the sun and
moon had both sunk together. If this was the
result of all my patience, I thought, I felt that I
would rather die without recovering, for I had
fallen ill soon after that. But, luckily or not, I
recovered slowly.

" The world was now empty to me, and I
merely breathed in it. After a while, however, I
was persuaded to dispose of my house and to live
with a certain friend of mine. With that in view,
I was busy packing my things, when I happened
to find a book under my son's dress in a cabinet.
It was the Bible the foreign minister's wife had
given me years ago. I opened and looked at it
without intending so much as to read it, when I
came across a little phrase which strangely appealed
to me. I marked it, and it was that which induced
me to look more into the book now and then. I
could not understand it very well at first, but I
soon felt as if I saw a gleam of light somewhere.

[273]

JRami feo

My foreign friend had already gone, but I wanted
to get some one to explain to me fully about the
book.

" Not long after, I was offered a position as
matron in a girls' school. It happened to be a
Christian institution, and I soon made friends with
a young man and his wife who were teaching there.
They were very good Christians and they kindly
made everything clear to me. It is now sixteen
years since I began to believe in the new faith, and
I have hardly been able to pass a day without the
book. It is the very staff of my life. The world
which I thought ended with death widened in my
knowledge of immortality; my father was given
back in our Heavenly Father ; my son was returned
to me through the working of love; and all my
sufferings are sweetened in the belief in hope.

" This is briefly how I came to read this book,"
she said, watching Nami's face for a few moments.

" I knew," she added, " something of your story,
and, as I saw you often on the beach, I wanted
very much to visit you. And now that I have
grown to know you, I feel very sorry to leave you
so soon. But I shall never think of you as a mere
acquaintance; something deeper than that seems
to exist between us. I wish you would take good
[274]

care of yourself, and never think of life as too
sad to live. And, when you feel well, just read
this book. I go back to Tokyo, but I am thinking
of you day and night."

The old lady left for Tokyo the next day. The
book she had given Nami was always by her bed-
side.

Nami felt consolation in thinking that there was
somebody in this wide world, not her mother or
aunt, but one who, herself having tasted of the
bitterness of life, took delight in comforting and
sympathizing with her. She often thought of her
story, and turned over the book she so sincerely
loved.

[475]

CHAPTER VI

ON the twenty-second of November the Second
Army captured Port Arthur.

"Mother! Mother!"

Holding a newspaper in her hand, Chizu called
to her mother in a startled tone.

" What is the matter ? You ought not to speak
so loud."

Chizu blushed a little at being reprimanded by
her mother. Then she smiled, but again she be-
came grave, and said:

" Mother, he is dead — Chijiwa! "

"Chijiwa!" exclaimed Madam Kato. "Chi-
jiwa! How? Killed in battle?"

" Yes. His name is among the killed. Good
enough for him ! "

"You must not say such things — Chijiwa died
in battle ! But how could he be so brave ? "

" It was better for him to die," observed Chizu.

Madam Kato was silent.

" Isn't it sad to have no one to weep for us
after we die, Chizu-san?"
[276]

|Jort

" But the Widow Kawashima will weep for
him," Chizu remarked, sarcastically. " Talking of
Kawashima, mother, O-Toyo-san has left the house
at last."

"Are you sure?" Her mother was surprised.

" Yes. Yesterday she had further trouble with
the widow. She could stand it no longer, and
returned home weeping, I hear. I am glad she has
left there."

" No one can stay there long, I presume."

Madam Kato sighed, and Chizu was silent.

Chijiwa was dead. Twenty days after the fore-
going conversation, a letter and a piece of human
bone reached the cheerless house of Kawashima.
The bone was Chijiwa's, and the letter was from
Takeo.

" Two days after the capture of Port Arthur,"
he said, " all the vessels and the dockyards were to
be placed in charge of the navy, and I landed with
some other officers from my vessel for that purpose.
The bloody scenes after the fierce battle were be-
yond description — I happened to pass in front of a
temporary field-hospital, when I saw men carrying
a corpse on a litter. It was covered with a blue
blanket, a piece of white cloth being placed over the
[277]

face. The mouth and chin seen under the cover
seemed to remind me of somebody I knew, and I
asked the name. You may well imagine my aston-
ishment when I was told that it was Lieutenant
Chijiwa!

" I uncovered him, and saw his face pale and his
teeth clinched. He had been badly wounded by
bullets at the attack of Itzushan fortress, and was
conscious till morning, but he died at last. I
asked some of his fellow officers about him. They
said that he was not liked at all in his company,
but that he fought well in the battle, and that at
the attack of Chin-Chow he and his men were
the first to break through the Northern Gate. But
he was often unsoldierly in his behavior, and had
with him a considerable sum of money. Once at
Pi-tzu-wo he acted very cruelly toward some of
the natives, trying to rob them in spite of strict
orders, and he was to be punished for that. At any
rate, his death on the battle-field is said to have
redeemed his reputation.

" As you know, he caused me a great deal of
trouble, and I had given up all intercourse with
him, but have nothing against his memory. And
when I think of the days we passed like brothers,
I pity him very much. So I got permission to

[278]

Port

cremate his body, and send you a piece of his bone
with this. I hope you will inter it properly."

This, however, was not all that Takeo came
across at Port Arthur. There was one more inci-
dent which he purposely omitted to mention in his
letter.

The day he discovered Chijiwa's corpse, Takeo
was delayed in going back toward the pier. The
sun had set.

He passed by sentinels with gleaming bayonets,
generals riding on horseback, petty officers receiving
orders from their superiors, Chinamen standing
open-mouthed, and army subordinates going to and
fro. And finally he came to where some coolies
were making a big fire.

" It's cold ! " said one of them. " If we were
home we should have a drink and a hot dish of
stewed fish. Kichi, that's a fine thing you have on ! "

Kichi was wearing a beautiful quilted coat of
purple satin, which he had probably confiscated.

" Say, look at Gen," Kichi said, in reply. " He
has a fur coat on worth four hundred yen ! "

" Happy Gen ! " the first one echoed. " No one
is as lucky as he. He never loses his game, is
never hit by a bullet, and is rewarded for doing
[279]

nothing. Look at me. Nothing but this thin
thing. Damn it! I lost everything at Tailienwan.
I must get something before long."

" Be careful," observed another. " I entered
a house this afternoon, when suddenly a pig-tailed
soldier jumped out from behind a box with a
drawn sword. He thought I was going to murder
him, but, as a matter of fact, I was almost fright-
ened to death. Luckily our soldiers came along
and soon made short work of him. If not, I
should have been sent to hell right away."

" Fools ! Why do they still remain here to be
butchered ? "

Only a day or two had passed since the fall of
Port Arthur, and not a few fugitive Chinese sol-
diers, who had hidden themselves in houses, were
killed for offering resistance.

Overhearing the talk of the common soldiers,
Takeo went along toward the pier. The lights
were now few, and men were rarely seen. On
one side the long wall of the arsenal threw a
dark shadow on the ground, and on the other, a
street lamp cast a dim, uncertain light upon a lean
dog as he went along smelling the earth.

As Takeo walked in the shadow, he descried two
human figures about fifty yards ahead. He was
[280]

Port

sure that they were officers. One was broad-
shouldered, and the other was slim in build. As
they walked along they were talking.

Suddenly Takeo noticed some one stealthily
tracking them. He felt his heart throb strangely.
He could not see clearly, but suddenly the man in
the shadow went a step, hesitated, took another
step, and looked as if awaiting his opportunity. The
figure now came to a lighted space between houses,
disclosing itself to be a Chinese. At the same time
something glittered in his hand. Takeo hastened
after him excitedly.

The two men ahead now came to the end of the
street, when the black figure in the shade stepped
boldly out of the dark and ran toward them.
Alarmed, Takeo dashed forward. The Chinese,
however, approached within ten yards of the men,
raised his arm, and brought the slim officer to the
earth with a shot. He was about to pull the
trigger upon the other officer, who turned around
suddenly, just as Takeo reached the spot and gave
a hard blow on the right arm of the murderer.
The pistol dropped to the ground. Infuriated, the
man turned on him and the two fought. The
broad-shouldered officer came to his aid, and a band
of Japanese soldiers, attracted by the noise of the
[281]

shot, came running to the spot and immediately
bound the assassin. Takeo was breathless after the
struggle, and stood gazing at the broad-shouldered
officer who now turned towards him.

The light of a street-lamp shone in the face of
Lieutenant-General Kataoka.

Takeo exclaimed : " You ! "

" You ! " The general in his turn was surprised.

Unexpectedly Takeo had saved the life of Nami's
father.

When the news reached Nami's ears, Iku re-
joiced beyond measure, and said : " You see how
much we owe him. Do try hard to get well."

Nami smiled gloomily.

[282]

CHAPTER VII

Cafceo'g Eeturn

^f 'HE year began and ended in war.

JL In the first two months, Wei-hai-wei was
captured, and the Peiyang Squadron was anni-
hilated; in March the Pescadores fell into the
Japanese power, and in the north the Imperial
Army swept like a tide until not a shadow of the
enemy was to be seen to the east of the River
Liao. The Peace Embassy came to Japan, and in
the middle of April the Peace Treaty was awaiting
the signatures. The intervention of the three
Powers was rumored, and the Liatung Peninsula
was finally restored. By the end of May his Im-
perial Majesty, commander-in-chief of the army
and navy, returned triumphantly to the cap-
ital, and the war was ended with the impressiveness
of an eagle gathering its wings for flight.

After burying the ashes of Chijiwa at Port

Arthur, and saving the life of General Kataoka,

Takeo was at the bombardment of Wei-hai-wei, and

also at the occupation of the Pescadores. At the

[283]

Bamt ko

beginning of June, however, his vessel reached
Yokosura, and he returned home.

It was over a year since he had left his mother
in anger. So many thrilling incidents had been
crowded into that period, however, that his hard
feelings were softened, and on rainy days at the
Saseho Hospital, or on the bitter cold nights at Wei-
hai-wei, his homeless heart would turn to its old
abode in Tokyo.

Takeo did not notice any change at home except
the face of a maid who met him at the door. His
mother was as large as ever, and was confined
to her bed with rheumatism. Tazaki came daily,
and, in his little office, attended to the household
business as usual. Everything Takeo saw or heard
remained just the same. And Takeo could not
find anything to enliven his spirits. Although he
had seen his mother again after a long absence,
had taken a comfortable bath in his old home, had
sat on a thick, downy cushion, had eaten his favorite
dishes, and had laid his head on a soft pillow in a
comfortable bed, he could not go to sleep. The
clock struck one, — two, — yet his eyes were clear
and his heart was heavy.

A year's time had healed the breach between
mother and son; at least, it seemed to have done
[284]

'Bi Ketttrn

so. The mother, of course, welcomed her son home,
and Takeo also felt relieved at seeing her. But
both perceived, even at their first meeting, that
they had nothing in common. He did not ask
her anything about Nami, nor did she speak of
her, — not because he did not wish to ask or she
did not know, but because they both knew that
danger lurked in that topic. And, as they noticed
that each was careful to avoid it, they naturally felt
uneasy whenever the conversation came to a halt.

Takeo, however, needed no incentive to keep v
Nami constantly in his mind. Now that he had
returned to their old abode, everything seemed to
keep her alive in his memory, and his heart yearned
for her. Where was she now? Did she know,,
of his return? Love, indeed, knows no distance,
but now that the bond was broken, the house of
Kataoka, though only two miles away, was to Takeo
further than the stars. He could not visit even
her aunt to ask about Nami. Little did he know,
when he stopped at Zushi to take his leave of her in
May of the previous year, that it was to be their
parting for life. The cry, " Come back soon,"
which she uttered at the gate of the villa, still
rang in his ears, but to whom could he now say,
" I have returned " ?

[285]

Turning these thoughts over in his mind, Takeo
alighted one day at Zushi on his way to Yokosura,
and wandered towards the villa. He found the
front gate closed. Thinking that the occupant must
have gone to Tokyo, he went around to the back
of the house, where he saw the old servant weeding
alone in the garden.

The old man looked around at the sound of
footsteps, and, recognizing his visitor, took off his
head-cloth as if surprised, and bowed courteously,
saying:

" Good morning, sir. When did you come back? "

" A few days ago," answered Takeo. " You
are always well, Mohei?"

" Yes, sir, thank you," said the old man.

"You are staying here alone?" Takeo asked.

" Why, the Baroness — Miss — my sick lady was
here with Iku till the end of last month. Since
then I have kept the house alone."

" Returned last month ? Then she is now in
Tokyo," muttered Takeo to himself.

" She went back to Tokyo," the old man went
on, " before my lord returned from China. Yes,
and then she went to Kyoto with my lord, but
I suppose she is not yet back."
[286]

Cafeeo's Eetttrn

"To Kyoto? Then she must be better," mur-
mured Takeo to himself. " And when did she
go to Kyoto ? "

" About a week ago — " The old man reflected
suddenly on the present situation, and stopped short,
fearing that he was telling too much. Takeo under-
stood what was passing in the mind of the old
servant, and flushed.

They stood there for a while without words.
The old man, however, felt sorry for him, and
said, as if recollecting himself:

" I will open the doors. Perhaps you will step
in and take some tea."

" Oh, don't trouble yourself," said Takeo. " I
just looked in on my way back to Yokosura."

Takeo turned to look around the familiar garden.
As there was a keeper, things did not look wild,
but the doors were all shut and the water in the
basin was gone. The leaves were dense, and yellow
plums were falling and were scattered on the
ground. On the lawn the late roses were half-
withered, filling the garden with their faint fra-
grance. No human trace was to be found, and the
jarring cry of the locusts on a pine-tree was the
only sound that met the ear.
[287]

Takeo soon parted with the old man, and went
away thoughtfully.

A few days later he was again ordered to leave
for the south. He passed two weeks at home, but
not in the customary celebrations over a victorious
return. His home had seemed to him the best
place on earth while he was away from it, but,
try as he might, it could not fill the gap in his
heart.

His mother understood his feelings, and her
displeasure gave voice to itself in words. Takeo
also observed that his mother could read his mind,
and, whenever they were talking, he always felt
as if there were a wall between them.

He was to sail from Yokosura, but he missed his
train thence. Thereupon he determined to catch
his ship at Kure, and on the tenth of June he left
by the Tokai-do train, lonely.

[288]

CHAPTER VIII

^*f HREE people were coming out of the Oba-

M kusan Temples at Uji: a portly gentleman
of over fifty, in foreign dress and with a gold-
capped cane, a lady of about twenty, carrying a
black parasol, and an elderly appearing maid with
a small bag.

As soon as they emerged, the three kuruma-men
waiting at the gate brought them their vehicles.
The old gentleman looked at the lady, and said:

" Fine weather. What do you say to walking a
little bit?"

"All right."

" Won't you get tired ? " the maid asked of the
lady.

" No. I'd rather walk a little way," the lady
replied.

" Then we will go slowly, and take the kuruma
when we get tired."

The three walked along leisurely, followed by
the three kuruma. The party was, of course, Gen-
eral Kataoka, Nami, and Iku. They had arrived
[289]

yesterday from Nara, and were now going toward
Yamashima Station on their way to Otsu.

The general had returned from the Regent's
Sword the last of May. One day he saw Kami's
doctor privately, and two days after, taking his
daughter and the maid Iku, went down to Kyoto.
Selecting a quiet hotel by the river as his head-
quarters, he spent several days in sightseeing with
Nami at her pleasure, clad in private dress instead
of uniform, avoiding his friends, and refusing all
invitations to public meetings. The world lost
sight of the general for a while, and Nami alone
possessed her father.

" Stepping out of Obak' — *
Lo, Jap'nese tea-picking ! "

The best season for tea-picking had already passed,
but the wind brought now and then the fragrance
of drying tea, and a few country girls were seen
starting a second picking. Here and there among
the tea-fields, the fields of wheat were also turning
yellow, and the rustling sound of sickles was heard.
The distant hills of Yamato were veiled in a soft

1 Obaku : the name given to the temples after the famous
Chinese temples of the same name. Uji, where the temples
are, is a noted tea producing district. Hence the contrast.
[290]

passing Crams

summer mist, while the river Uji betrayed itself
by the white sails gliding over the wheat-fields far
away. From a low-roofed village near by, the noon-
tide crowing was wafted peacefully, and in the
sky overhead a lavender cloud remained motionless.

Nami gave a sigh.

Presently from a path on the left a farmer and
his wife appeared talking. They were returning to
their work after lunch. The man had a sickle in
his belt, and the woman was made noticeable by
her blackened teeth and by her head-covering of
a piece of white cloth. She carried a large teapot
in her hand. She stopped short as she met the party,
looked at them for a while, and, catching up with the
man, whispered something to him. Both looked
back, the woman smiling and showing her beauti-
fully colored teeth. Still talking, they passed along
into a field path where the thistles bloomed wild.

Nami's eyes followed them. The large round
straw head-gear and the white cloth sank gradually
into the yellow of the wheat-field, and finally dis-
appeared. From that direction a voice came, sing-
ing:

" Yours, a Mas'mune make,

But mine, a rusted sword :

Though you may sever,

I never."

[291]

Nami looked upon the ground with sorrowful
eyes.

The general turned towards her. " You must be
tired," he said, and took her hand in his.

The general talked to Nami as they walked along.

" Time passes very fast. Nami, do you still
remember that, when you were a little girl, you
used to kick my sides as I carried you on my back?
It was when you were only five or six years old,
I am sure."

" I remember," chimed in Iku, lightly. " When
my lord took you on his back, the young miss
wanted to be carried too. At this time she is
also wishing very much to be with us, I am sure."

Nami only smiled gloomily.

" Koma ! " said the general. " We are going to
take her plenty of souvenirs instead. But, Nami,
Chizu-san wanted to come more than Koma, didn't
she?"

" I believe so," Iku spoke again. " If she could
be with us, we should be so merry. I wanted to
ask my lord some questions. Is that river we just
crossed the Uji? Then it is noted for fire-worms?
And it is where Komazawa met his lady-love Mi-

yuki?"

[292]

passing; <i rains

" Why, Iku, you are quite a scholar, aren't
you?" the general asked, smilingly. "Well, the
world changes rapidly. When I was young, the
travelling from Osaka to Kyoto was always done
in a junk, passengers being packed into it as in a
box. Now I had an even more interesting ex-
perience when I was twenty years old. Immediately
after Saigo and Kayeda took Priest Gessho to Osaka,
an important matter arose, and I had to go after
them. But I started so hastily that I left all my
money behind. And, there being no help, I ran
barefooted all the way through to Osaka — it was
night, you know — along the river bank," and he
laughed. " Isn't it warm? Nami, you mustn't
walk too much. We must ride now."

Iku beckoned the kuruma-men, who were lagging
behind. Then the three rode along slowly through
the tea and wheat fields towards Yamashima.

Looking at the gray hair of her father as he
passed before her, Nami thought deeply. Was
this trip with her father happy or sad? She was
unfortunate in being deprived of all hope and pleas-
ure in this world, and in having to wait for not
remote death, but it was easy to feel that her father's
heart yearned for her. She thought of his boundless
love towards her, and she was troubled because she

[293]

could find no way to return it. The most she
could do was to return in spirit to her bygone child-
hood, and to share it with her father away from
worldly care. So she sought novel sights with the
eagerness of a child. When she bought pieces of
silk at Kyoto, she knew they would be of no
use to her, but she selected especially showy ones,
so that her sister might have them as a keep-
sake.

Although she felt deeply for her father, she
never forgot Takeo. The bare report that he had
saved her father's life at Port Arthur was the only
news that reached her about him. Her thoughts
wandered everywhere, and her dreams brought him
to her, but she did not know where he was. She
wanted to meet him, to meet him once, only once
in her lifetime, but, alas! The touching song she
had just heard rang in her ears at this thought,
and the figures of the farmer and his young wife
talking happily floated before her eyes. Ah, they
were blessed in their rags, she thought, but she
in her soft silk —

Tears came to her eyes. She tried so hard to
check the emotion that the only result was a severe
coughing spell.

The general looked back anxiously.
[294]

("Trains

" It is all right now," she said, smiling in spite
of her pain.

At Yamashima they took an east-bound train.
They were alone in a first-class compartment, and
Nami sat by an open window, with her father in
front of her, looking at a paper.

Presently a Kobe train came rolling in from the
east, and stopped alongside their train. As the
noise of the slamming doors and the voice of
a porter calling " Yamashima, Yamashima ! " were
heard on the other side, the engine of their train
whistled, and the train began to move slowly. Nami
was looking at the opposite train from the window.
As she came in front of a second-class car, her eyes
met those of a young man resting his cheek on his
arm.

" Ah ! " Nami could scarcely speak.

" Oh, Nami-san ! " cried the young man.

It was Takeo.

The train was passing. She madly thrust her-
self out of the window, and tossed her violet-colored
handkerchief to him.

" Look out, miss." Alarmed, Iku held Nami's
sleeve.

[295]

The general also looked out of the window with
paper in hand.

The trains drew slowly away from each other.
Nami thrust herself still farther out of the window,
and saw Takeo waving the handkerchief wildly and
saying something. Suddenly the train curved around
a hill. On both sides there was now nothing but
leafy slopes. A sound was heard behind as of
tearing linen; the other train had just steamed
off to the west.

i Nami covered her face and bent over the knees
of her father.

[296]

CHAPTER IX

ON the evening of the seventh of July a good
many people were assembled at the house of
General Kataoka. They talked in subdued tones,
for his daughter Nami was dying.

When the general and Nami came back unex-
pectedly at the end of last month from their trip to
the old capital, those who received them at the
porch saw at once that she was much worse. Nat-
urally, the doctor was surprised. He found that
not only had her health failed considerably in a
short time, but that there was an alarming change
in her heart. From that time on, even at mid-
night, a light was kept burning at the house of
Kataoka, and the doctors came and went almost
incessantly. Madam Kataoka was to go to a sum-
mer resort, but she had to give up her plan for a
time.

In spite of the skilful treatment of the doctors,
and the tearful prayers of Iku by day and by
night she grew worse and worse. She had several
hemorrhages and convulsions of the heart. After

[297]

a severe attack, she would remain half-asleep and
talking to herself. She was growing weaker and
weaker. Whenever her father was awakened by
hearing her cough, and came in to see her, Nami
would smile faintly and speak clearly in spite of
her short breath. In her semiconscious condition
she muttered the name of Takeo constantly.

The day the doctor dreaded was coming to an
end. The rooms were all lighted. But, as no one
dared to speak aloud, all was silent as the grave.
Two ladies came out of the sickroom in order to
leave the patient undisturbed. One was Madam
Kato and the other was the old lady who had once
saved Nami at Zushi. She had not seen Nami
since the last fall, but had now been sent for by
her special desire.

" I thank you very much for your kindness to
her. She wanted to see you once more. And I
am sure she is very glad that you came." Madam
Kato could barely speak.

The old lady only sighed, and scarcely knew
what to say. Presently she asked, in a low voice:

" And where is he now ? "

" He is in Formosa, I hear."

"Formosa!"

[298]

§>aj>onata

The old lady heaved another sigh.

Madam Kato was barely able to check her tears,
as she said:

" If he is not too far away, as she is always
thinking of him, we will summon him by some
means, so that she may take leave of him. But
I fear that he has already reached there, and, be-
sides, he is on board a war-vessel — "

At this moment Madam Kataoka came in, fol-
lowed by Chizu, who hurriedly spoke to her mother.

A large room was dimly lighted with candles, and
Nami was lying on a snow-white bed with her
eyes closed.

She had now been ill for almost two years, and
was worn to a shadow. Her pallid face was almost
transparent, but her black hair was as glossy as
ever. At her bedside a nurse was sitting and wet-
ting her lips with cooled wine, while Iku, with dark
eyes and lean cheeks, was rubbing her with the help
of another nurse. The room was silent, and only
Nami's breath was heard.

Suddenly she drew a long sigh, and reopening her
eyes, said faintly:

"Is aunt here?"

" I am here."

[299]

Madam Kato drew her chair near the bed, and
said to Nami:

" Did you sleep any? What? All right. Now,"
looking at the nurse and Iku, " please leave the
room for a little while."

When the three women had gone, the lady drew
her chair closer to the bed, and, brushing aside the
hair on Nami's brow, she looked sadly into the
face of her niece. Nami also gazed at her aunt.

Presently, with a sigh, Nami took out a sealed
letter with her trembling hand from under her
pillow.

" Give — this — after I am gone."

Madam Kato wiped her eyes, as she put it se-
curely in her breast.

" Certainly. I will give it to Takeo-san myself."

"The — this ring — "

Nami put her left hand on her aunt's knee. On
her third finger, the diamond ring which Takeo gave
her at her wedding shone brightly. She had sent
back everything that belonged to the house when
she was divorced, but she could not part with her
ring.

" This — I shall take — with me," Nami said.

Wiping her eyes, Madam Kato only nodded.
Nami closed her eyes.

After a while she opened them again.

" What is he doing — I wonder."

" Takeo-san has already arrived at Formosa, and
is working, I believe, and always thinking of us.
If possible, we are going to summon him — so
your father says. But, Nami-san, I will tell him
about you, and give him this letter, too."

A faint smile rose to Nami's lips.

Presently her bloodless cheeks were tinged with
red, her breast throbbed and burning tears started
from her eyes. With an effort, she exclaimed :

" Oh, my heart! Such a torture!"

Knitting her brow, and pressing her hand to her
breast, Nami writhed in agony. She started up in
bed, seizing the hands of Madam Kato, who was
just going to call the doctor, and with agonizing
coughs was overcome by a hemorrhage. She fell
back helpless.

The doctor, and all the rest, came into the room.

With the help of the nurses, the doctor gave
her immediate relief. They opened a window near
the bed.

The cool night air poured into the room.

Outside, the moon had just risen, and its light
shone through the branches of the trees.

The general, the viscountess, Madam Kato,
Chizu, Koma, and Iku — all sat by the bed. A
soft breeze stirred Nami's hair, and she lay as
if already dead. The doctor watched her face
closely and felt her pulse, while a nurse stood by
him with a candle whose flame flickered in her
hand.

Ten — fifteen minutes passed. A slight sigh was
heard through the room, and Nami's lips moved.
The doctor gave her a spoonful of wine. A long
breath was again heard, and Nami muttered:

" Let's go back, let's go back, my dear — mother,
we are coming, we are coming — oh, still — here."

Nami opened her eyes.

The moon, just rising over the garden, cast a
weird light and touched Nami's face.

The doctor glanced at the general, and left the
bedside. The general now took Nami's hand.

" Nami, listen. I am your father — we are all
here."

Nami looked up vaguely, moved, and gazed into
the general's eyes, misty with tears.

" Father — don't break down," she said.

Weeping quietly, Nami moved her right hand
weakly and grasped her father's hand, which held
her left.

[3°2]

" Mother? " Nami asked.

The viscountess came nearer and wiped Nami's
tears. Nami took her hand.

" Mother — I am going."

The viscountess's lips quivered, and, covering
her face, she left the room without a word.

Encouraging her weeping daughter, Madam Kato
drew nearer and took Nami's hands in her own.
Koma also came and knelt by her sister's bed.
Raising a trembling hand, Nami put it on Koma's
head.

" Korna-chan — Sayonara — "

Nami breathed painfully, and Koma, shuddering,
gave her sister a spoonful of wine. She now opened
her eyes and looked around.

" Ki-chan — Mi-chan? " asked Nami.

The two children had already been sent away
for the summer by the viscountess. Nami nodded,
and scarcely seemed to know what was going on
about her.

At this time, Iku, who was in tears, stepped for-
ward and seized Nami's helpless hand.

" Iku — " said Nami.

" Mi-miss, let me go with you — "

After sending Iku with difficulty into the adjoin-
ing room, all was silent. Nami closed her mouth
[3°3]

j&amt-fco

and eyes, and the shadow of death seemed about to
descend upon her face.

The general drew near for the second time.

" Nami, is there anything more you want to say?
Don't give way! "

Called back by a familiar voice, Nami opened her
eyes and looked at her aunt.

" Nami-san," said her aunt, " I will do every-
thing for you. Be at peace, and go to your mother's
home."

A faint smile rose to her lips, and she soon shut
her eyes and breathed her last.

Th'e cold moonlight streamed in and shone on
her pale face. The smile was still on her lips, but
Nami was sleeping her long sleep.

Three days after, Nami was buried in Aoyama
Cemetery.

General Kataoka being a man of wide social ac-
quaintance, the funeral was widely attended, and
not a few of Nami's old friends came to bid her
farewell. Those who knew her story were sad-
dened to see the general standing disconsolate
by the coffin, and even the strangers present wept
at the sight of Iku crying over it.
[3°4]

The deceased being a young lady, many flowers
were sent. The only ones refused were brought
by a man of about forty. They bore the card of
Kawashima House.

[3°5l

CHAPTER X

meeting at

OVER four months had now passed.
It was four o'clock in the afternoon; the
shadow of the frost-tinged sumac lay long in the
garden. Widow Kawashima, portly as ever, opened
a screen, and coming out on the veranda, stood
by a water-basin. She was provoked at finding no
water in it.

"Matsu — Take!" she called.

At the call, one servant came running from the
garden wicket, and the other from the veranda.
There was a panic-stricken color on their faces.

"What's the matter with you? I have told you
often — look here ! "

She took up a dipper and rolled it inside the
empty basin. The maids only stood breathless.

" Hurry up ! " she exclaimed.

Terrified, the two went away. Muttering some-
thing to herself, the widow was about to go in,
washing her hands with the water just brought,
when the other maid appeared and bowed low.

"What is it?" asked the widow.
[306]

" A gentleman — Yamaki-sama."

At the mention of the name, a sarcastic smile
and a look of displeasure appeared on the broad
face of the widow. To tell the truth, since Toyo
had left, the fall before, Yamaki rarely visited the
widow. Hearing of the immense fortune he had
made in the late war, the widow was all the more
provoked at him, and, as often as she lectured to
the servants on the feeling of obligation, she made
of him a living example. But then her displeasure
now had to give way to custom.

" Show him in," said the widow.

Yamaki seated himself, and appeared to be some-
what embarrassed.

" Yamaki-san, you are quite a stranger."

" Why," Yamaki apologized, " I have long been
a stranger without intending to be one. I should
have come to see you before, but I have been busily
occupied with my business after the war. I am
very happy to see you so well."

" Yamaki-san, you made a great deal of money
in the war, I hear."

" Why, that is very easy to say, but — just
enough to pay for my trouble."

A maid brought in some things tied up with red
and white strings on a tray. Saying, " From the

[307]

gentleman," she placed them before the widow and
retired.

The widow glanced at them and smiled rather
contentedly, as she said:

" Thank you very much."

" Not at all ; they are nothing but trifles. Why,
I haven't yet congratulated you on the young mas-
ter's promotion to the rank of lieutenant. I also
read in the paper the other day that he has been
decorated and given a sum of money. You must
be very proud of him. Where is he now? At
Saseho?"

"Take? He came back yesterday."

"And is he well?"

" Yes, but just as boyish as ever. To-day he
went out in the morning, and is not back yet."

" You must be glad that he has returned. At
General Kataoka's they were very unfortunate. It
is over a hundred days, I believe. But you can't
do anything against that disease. You were very
wise to foresee it."

Widow Kawashima looked stern at the mention
of Kataoka. She said:

" You don't know how much trouble she caused
us. We spent a good deal of money, even had a
quarrel in the house, and after all they call me
[308]

^ttccting; at &opama

a. devil. Just think of it, Yamaki-san. More than
that, when we heard of the funeral we sent Tazaki
with flowers. What do you think they did? They
sent them back. Was it not very rude, Yamaki-
san?"

When she had learned of the death of Nami, the
widow had felt somewhat sorry, but, on rinding that
her flowers were returned unceremoniously, all her
softer feelings vanished, and only the bitterness
remained.

" That wasn't right. Surely anybody would be
hurt at that. Now, madam," sipping the tea which
a maid offered him, " I want to announce to you
the marriage of my daughter Toyo."

"Your daughter to marry? I congratulate you.
And whom ? "

"A graduate of the Imperial University, now
Chief of a Bureau in the Department of Agriculture
and Commerce. I think you know him. His
name is — he used to be a patron of Chijiwa. Oh,
talking of Chijiwa, I am very sorry for his un-
timely death."

A slight shadow passed over the widow's forehead.

" War is an evil thing, isn't it ? And when does
the ceremony take place ? "

" We have fixed it," Yamaki replied, " for the
[3°9]

day after to-morrow. I desire your presence very
much. We shall be proud to have you come. My
wife ought to come to ask you, but she is very
sorry that she is unable to. And the young master,
too, will honor us with his presence — we hope."

The widow nodded. She looked at the clock,
which was just striking five.

" What is Take doing, I wonder ? "

A naval officer with white crysanthemums in his
hand entered the Aoyama Cemetery from Minami-
cho Street.

The autumnal sky was clear, and the light of
the afternoon sun flooded the cemetery. A frost-
stricken leaf descended noiselessly from a cherry-
tree, japonicas blooming in the hedges perfumed
the air, incense arose in slender threads, and a bird
was heard chirping timidly. After the noise of a
kuruma wheeling toward Kogaicho had died away,
the stillness of the place was felt all the more.
And only the distant noise of the city was murmur-
ing dreamily a dirge of human life.

Somebody was passing behind a hedge. Presently
there appeared a lady of about thirty. Her eyes
were red, and she was holding the hand of a boy
about seven in a sailor's suit. They had passed

Clje f&tttinx at

by the naval officer a short distance, when the boy
called the attention of his mother to him.

" Mamma, he belongs to the navy, too, doesn't
he?"

The lady went away, covering her face with her
handkerchief.

The naval officer, without noticing them, went on,
stopping many times as if to find his way, and
reading the newly erected grave-posts. At last
he reached a lot hedged in with low shrubs and
shaded by pines and cherry-trees. He nodded and
moved the wicket, which opened at his touch. In
front there was an old tombstone. The officer
looked around and stood before a new grave-post
at his side. A graceful pine-tree wove an ever-
green covering over the grave, and red and yellow
cherry leaves were falling around it. On the post
was written, in the blackest of ink, " Tomb of
Nami Kataoka." The officer looked at the post,
and stood as immovable as a stone.

Presently his face quivered, and sobs escaped from
his trembling lips.

Takeo had returned yesterday from Formosa.
Five months ago he had caught a glimpse of
Nami as he was on his way to the Formosa expedi-

Bamt bo

tion, and later, in that far-off island, he had heard
from Madam Kato that she was no more. As soon
as he returned, he sought Madam Kato, and im-
plored her to tell him everything about his beloved
wife's final hours on earth.

Takeo stood before the grave and burst into
tears. Memories of three years floated before his
misty eyes, — the day of his marriage, the sunlight
at Ikao, the vow at the Fudo Shrine, the last
evening at Zushi, and, last of all, the chance meet-
ing at Yamashima. The voice that cried " Come
back soon ! " was still fresh in his ears, but when
he came back she was no more his wife. He
came back for the second time, and now she was
gone.

"Oh, Nami-san, why did you die?" he ex-
claimed, weeping bitterly.

A gust of wind passed overhead, and cherry
leaves rustled down on the grave-post. As if awak-
ened, Takeo wiped his eyes and approached the
grave. He took some withered flowers from the
stands, and cleaning the fallen leaves away, re-
placed them with the chrysanthemums he had
brought. He now took out something from his
pocket.

It was Kami's last letter. His feelings when he

Cfje ^Heettnff at

read it, receiving it from the hand of Madam Kato,
had been overwhelming. He opened it. Not a
trace of her beautiful handwriting was to be seen;
the letters were wavering, the ink smeared, and the
stains of sorrowful tears remained.

" My days being numbered, I wish to leave you
a few words. I hardly hoped to see you in this
world, but was so glad that we happened to meet
the other day by the mercy of Heaven. But I
scarcely knew how to use that single moment."

A picture of Nami struggling at the window
and throwing her violet handkerchief to him stood
clearly before his eyes. Takeo looked up. In front
of him there was only the grave-post.

" Everything has gone against us, but I blame
nobody. And, though my body will return to dust,
my spirit will ever be at your side — "

" Papa, somebody is here." The ringing voice of
a boy was heard. The same voice again announced :
" Papa, Takeo-san — " And the boy with flowers
came running to meet him.

Surprised, Takeo stood with Nami's letter in
hand, and looked back, his eyes meeting those of
General Kataoka at the wicket.

Takeo's head was bowed to the ground.

Suddenly he felt his hand in a warm grasp.

[3*3]

On looking up, he found himself standing face to
face with the general.

" Takeo-san, I, too, am broken-hearted." Grasp-
ing hands, both stood weeping.

After a while the general wiped his tears. Lay-
ing his hand on Takeo's shoulder, he broke the
silence, in a firm voice.

" Takeo-san, though Nami is dead, I am still
your father. But come, be a man, Takeo-san, and
look into the future. All our misfortunes have been
' to prepare us for a greater work. Indeed, it's a
long time since we met. Come with me, Takeo-san,
and let me hear what happened to you at Formosa."

FINIS.

[3 Hi

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